Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi made an average of more than two foreign visits each month in 2015, having completed 28 trips in the last 12 months. However, he is likely to restrict his foreign visits in 2016 and will instead host several world leaders in India.
Modi has reportedly directed the External Affairs Ministry to ensure he is not away from the country on too many trips this year, according to Hindustan Times.
The Hindu also cited officials saying the prime minister will not travel out of the country as much as he did in his 19 months in office, during which he visited 33 countries.
READ:PM Narendra Modi's foreign trips 2015: From Seychelles to Pakistan
The reason for the cut in foreign trips in 2016 is for Modi to focus more on domestic issues as well as to host foreign leaders slated to visit India in the coming months, the reports said.
"This will be a year of incoming rather than outgoing visits. We will not see a repeat of the past two years now, the prime minister has indicated," a senior official told The Hindu.
Among the important foreign visitorss to India will be French President Francois Hollande, who will be chief guest at the Republic Day function on 26 January.
Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli is also likely to make his first visit to India after recently taking charge, and Russian President Vladimir Putin will attend the annual India-Russia summit in Delhi.
However, there still some foreign visits scheduled for the prime minister this year, starting with a visit to Brussels for the European Union Summit, which is expected in February, and then a US trip to attend the Nuclear Security Summit at the end of March in Washington.
The other countries Modi is likely to travel to in 2016 are Saudi Arabia, China for the G-20 Summit, and Pakistan for the SAARC summit.
The prime minister has now visited almost every nation with a significant Indian diaspora. However, he has also often found himself at the receiving end of criticism and social media banter over his frequent foreign trips..
