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- Published: December 18, 2022 21:58
Lucknow, December 18: Uttar Pradesh is a state with infinite possibilities in terms of tourism. All major centres of religious, spiritual, eco-tourism are present here. Today Uttar Pradesh is number one in terms of domestic tourism. In 2024, when the Shri Ram temple will be ready in Ayodhya, tourism will increase 10 times, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has said.
Addressing tour operators from all over the country at the 37th Annual Convention of the Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) on Sunday, CM Yogi said that tourists were completely safe in UP today in the state and that UP was the safest state today in the country.
The Chief Minister said that the efforts made by the State Government under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the last five years has made Uttar Pradesh number one in domestic tourism. CM Yogi added that the programme has been organised in the state after a gap of almost two and a half decades by the IATO.
“You must be seeing a lot of difference in the state since the programme was organised 26 years ago. UP has immense possibilities in the tourism sector”, he remarked.
1 crore tourists visited Varanasi in the month of Sawan
The Chief Minister said that there are infinite possibilities in the field of religious-spiritual tourism in UP. “We have Kashi as the oldest city in the world and the cultural and spiritual capital of India. Recently, one year has been completed since the inauguration of Shrikashi Vishwanath Dham. 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 Sawan alone.
Rs 30,000 crore being spent for the development of Ayodhya-Mathura
The Chief Minister said that apart from this, Ayodhya is the centre of faith of every Sanatani. “Everyone aspires to come here once in their lifetime. The construction of the grand temple is going on on a war footing in Ayodhya. Along with Deepotsav, many works have been done for tourism development in Ayodhya. Infrastructure development is going on at the cost of Rs 30,000 crore. When the construction and development works of Shri Ram temple in Ayodhya will be completed in 2024, tourism to the city will increase 10 times.”
“Similarly, we also have Mathura, Vrindavan, Gokul, Barsana. Whether indigenous or foreign, all have a connection with Mathura. Along with the spiritual development there, you all must have felt the physical development as well. Infrastructure development works are going on for the development of Mathura-Vrindavan by the central and state governments at a cost of Rs 25,000-Rs 30,000 crore”, CM Yogi pointed out.
Tourism circuit is being developed
Citing the example of Prayagraj, the Chief Minister said that 24 crore devotees visited the city during the 2019 Kumbh, but the event was one of the best organised events. The CM also mentioned about Government’s plans to develop Ramayana, Krishna and Buddhist circuit. The Chief Minister said that important Buddhist sites like Sarnath, Kushinagar, Kapilvastu, Shravasti, Kaushambi are located in UP while an international airport is being built at Shravasti in Kushinagar. Naimisharanya, the land of scripting Vedic Shrutis, and Chitrakoot, associated with Lord Rama’s exile, is also located in UP.
Shukra Tirtha, the abode of Maa Vindhyavasini is also here. Also, there is immense potential for eco and heritage tourism in Terai, Vindhya and Bundelkhand. Earlier people were afraid of the name of Azamgarh, today development work is being done there, Yogi said.
He said that UP has the best road, railway and air connectivity in the country. We have new international airports being built in Jewar and Ayodhya. Azamgarh, a place people were scared of visiting in the past, will soon have an airport through its connectivity with the expressway. Apart from this, airports are going to be built at 10 new places including Aligarh, Moradabad. For five of these, the UP Government has signed MoUs with the Arport Authority of India. Waterways, which have been connected from Varanasi to Haldia, are being extended to Ayodhya.
While assuring the tour operators from all over the country, the Chief Minister said that the safety of tourists and better connectivity is guaranteed in UP.
“We are engaged in making it even more prosperous through excellent infrastructure works. We are continuously working for hotel parking for tourists at every place. Today 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. The entire investment process is proceeding without any human intervention. All work is being carried forward through the Nivesh Mitra portal. More than 300 and a half formalities, for which one had to run from one office to another, are being done in auto mode today”, the CM remarked, adding that monitoring is done from the Chief Minister’s Office itself. Apart facilitating investment in the state, the UP Government was also providing lakhs of employment opportunities to the youth.
“We can contribute in increasing the GDP of not only the state but also the country by inviting domestic and foreign tourists to UP. The state government will fully support you in whatever meaningful effort you make”, he pointed out.
On this occasion, the Chief Minister unveiled a coffee table book based on Bundelkhand. Ministers Arun Kumar Saxena, Dayashankar Singh, Principal Secretary Tourism Mukesh Meshram, office bearers of Indian Tour Operators Association were present in the programme.