Uttar Pradesh is a state with infinite possibilities in terms of tourism. All major centres of religious, spiritual and eco-tourism are present here. Today UP is number one in terms of domestic tourism. In 2024, when Shri Ram temple is ready in Ayodhya, tourism will increase 10 times, said Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath here on Sunday.

Addressing tour operators from all over the country at the 37^th Annual Convention of the Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO), Chief Minister Yogi said that tourists were completely safe in the state and it is the safest state today in the country.

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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 UP number one in domestic tourism.

Chief Minister 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.

Yogi 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 Shri Kashi Vishwanath Dham,” he said.

“Earlier, usually one crore tourists used to come to Varanasi in a year, but after the formation of Sri Kashi Vishwanath Dham, this year one crore tourists came to Varanasi in the month of Sawan alone,” he said.

The construction of the grand temple is going on at a war footing in Ayodhya. 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 work of Shri Ram temple in Ayodhya will be completed in 2024, tourism to the city will increase 10 times, he said.

“Similarly, we also have Mathura, Vrindavan, Gokul, and 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,” Chief Minister Yogi pointed out.

The CM also mentioned about the government’s plans to develop Ramayana, Krishna and Buddhist circuits. He said that important Buddhist sites like Sarnath, Kushinagar, Kapilvastu, Shravasti and 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, are also located in UP

Stating that Uttar Pradesh today has the best tourism policy, under which investment can be made in different areas, Yogi said: “The entire investment process is proceeding without any human intervention. More than 300 formalities are being done in auto mode today.”

“We can contribute to 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, and the office bearers of Indian Tour Operators Association were also present in the programme.