LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath said on Sunday that the tourism potential of Ayodhya would increase by 10 times when the construction of Ram temple is completed in 2024.
Addressing tour operators from all over the country at the 37th Annual Convention of the Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) on Sunday, Yogi said that Ayodhya was the centre of the faith of “every Sanatani”. “Everyone aspires to come here once in their lifetime. The construction of the grand temple is going on a war footing. When the construction and development work of Ram Mandir gets completed in 2024, tourism in the city will increase 10 times,” he said.
Similarly, he said, the Centre and the state government were spending around Rs 30,000 crore on infrastructure development of Mathura-Vrindavan. Terming Varanasi (Kashi) as the “oldest city” in the world and the “cultural and spiritual capital” of India, Yogi cited how the number of tourists visiting Varanasi has registered a steep increase. “Earlier, usually one crore tourists used to come to Varanasi in a year, but after the formation of Srikashi Vishwanath Dham, this year one crore tourists came to Varanasi in the month of Shravan alone,” he said.
UP is a state with infinite possibilities in terms of tourism, he said. “All major centres of religious, spiritual, eco-tourism are present here. Uttar Pradesh is number one in terms of domestic tourism,” the CM said, affirming that UP was the safest state in the country. He acknowledged that the IATO programme was being organised in the state after a gap of almost two and a half decades. Yogi assured the tour operators from all over the country that the safety of tourists and better connectivity will be guaranteed in UP.
“The state government is trying to make the state even more prosperous through excellent infrastructure works. We have the best tourism policy, under which investment can be made in different areas. UP is giving full guarantee of security to the investing partners,” he said.
Citing the example of Prayagraj, Yogi said that 24 crore devotees visited the city during the 2019 Kumbh. “It was one of the best organised events,” he said. The CM also mentioned the government’s plans to develop the Ramayana, Krishna and Buddhist circuits.
“UP has the best road, railway and air connectivity in the country,” Yogi said, citing the construction of new international airports in Jewar and Ayodhya. He said Azamgarh, a place people were scared of visiting in the past, will soon have an airport. He said airports were being constructed at 10 new places, including Aligarh and Moradabad. “For five of these, the UP government has signed MoUs with the Airports Authority of India. Waterways, which have been connected from Varanasi to Haldia, are being extended to Ayodhya,” he said.
The CM said that tourism can contribute to increasing the GDP of not only the state but also the country. “The state government will fully support you in whatever meaningful effort you make,” he told the IATO. The CM also unveiled a coffee table book based on Bundelkhand on the occasion.
