Religious tourism spots like Varanasi and Ayodhya could soon surpass Goa and Agra

By Nikhil Dedha

New Delhi (India), April 26: Recent data shows that Indians’ religious leanings have strengthened post-COVID, leading to accelerated momentum towards religious tourism.

According to Ministry of Tourism data, 8.5 crores of tourists visited Varanasi (Kashi) last year, around 4.5 crores of people visited Prayagraj and more than 1.5 crores of people have visited the Ayodhya Ram Temple since its consecration ceremony. Many experts believe that Varanasi will surpass Goa, Agra and Shimla.

“During the COVID period, when the temples were closed, our Prime Minister thought, let’s make the temples a place that everyone would want to visit. That’s why we came up with the idea of ​​having the Kashi Vishwanath corridor. It has changed the entire tourism scenario. of the state and by the year 2023, we had more than 10 crore tourists,” Preeti Srivastava, Deputy Director, Department of Tourism, Government of Uttar Pradesh told ANI.

The government of Uttar Pradesh is promoting the new golden triangle of Prayagraj, Kashi and Ayodhaya as a golden triangle of religious tourism.

“Now everyone is benefiting. Even the small washerman is getting business because he washes the linen of the hotels. The vegetable seller, everyone is benefiting. The rickshaw pullers, the flower sellers and local Prasad shops. Now the new golden triangle is here. Ayodhya is coming. , Prayagraj and Varanasi,” said Preeti.

The transformative impact of projects like the Kashi Vishwanath corridor has revived Varanasi’s tourism sector, leading to a substantial increase in the number of tourists and related economic activities. The surge in tourism has not only boosted local businesses but also generated significant revenue for the state.

According to Ministry of Tourism data, 1,439 million people participated in religious tourism in India in 2022, more than double the 677 million in 2021. In 2022, religious tourism destinations earned Rs1.34 lakh crore in revenue, an increase over compared to Rs65. 070 crore by 2021.

In 2022, Varanasi had 82 million visitors, which is almost four times the number of visitors in 2019. This number accounted for almost 26% of all arrivals in 2022, compared to less than 4 percent in 2019. The number of tourists in Varanasi has surpassed Agra. , home to the Taj Mahal, making it the most visited city in Uttar Pradesh.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also mentioned in his speech in the 103rd episode of radio program ‘Mann Ki Baat’ that “Now more than 10 crore tourists reach Kashi every year. The number of devotees visiting pilgrimages such as Ayodhya, Mathura and Ujjain is also increasing rapidly. Due to this lakhs of poor people get work”.

According to industry experts, the religious tourism sector is expected to generate a turnover of Rs 59 billion by 2028 and create 140 million temporary and permanent jobs by 2030.

Under the central government’s Swadesh Darshan Scheme, an amount of Rs 5,294 crore has been allocated for development of theme-based tourism circuits. A total of 76 projects have been approved under the project, covering popular religious destinations in various states of India. These include the Buddhist circuit, the Ramayana circuit and the Krishna circuit.

The Ministry of Tourism has also initiated the Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Augmentation Drive (PRASHAD) program to enhance the religious tourism experience by identifying and developing pilgrimage sites across India.

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