With Covid under control, tourism set to boom in UP

New Delhi: With the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) having been brought under control in Uttar Pradesh due to initiatives such as free vaccination campaign launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as well as effective Covid management by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the tourism industry is set to boom in the state.

According to Hotel Association President Gokul Sharma, tourism has already started picking up with large number of bookings taking place for the festive occasion of Dev Deepavali to be held this year in Kashi on November 19.

Sharma said that people from all over the country were reserving hotel rooms, lodges, guest houses, yachts, boats and barges fast to be able to attend the spectacular event in Varanasi, adding that most hotels and guest houses located on the banks of river Ganga were almost fully booked.

He said that Dev Deepavali seemed to have given “oxygen” to the tourism industry, which had been severely hit by the pandemic since last year.

It is worth mentioning here that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also witnessed the colourful Dev Deepavali celebrations in Kashi last year on the crescent-shaped ghats of Varanasi that were lit up with diyas all over with the images of the diyas floating in the clean blue water of the Ganga doubling the delight of the viewers watching the rare spectacle.

The increasing number of bookings is also indicative of the increase in confidence of people due to the UP Government’s effective handling of Covid and the highest vaccination coverage in the state within the country, which have resulted in negligible reporting of fresh cases of Covid in the state. People travelling to UP have started feeling much safer now than a few months back.