Lucknow: Much before the consecration and opening of Ram Mandir, Ayodhya has become a favourite destination for tourists to welcome the new year 2024. A week before the year end several lakh people from across the country have thronged to religious cities of Ayodhya, Varanasi and Mathura in Uttar Pradesh. Due to heavy inflow of tourists the hotels and guest houses in these cities are jam packed with no room left. The flow of tourists/devotees has helped in growth of trade activities in Ayodhya where heavy rush is seen in shops, restaurants and in the vending zone at the banks of river Saryu.
According to the officials of the tourism department of UP, Ayodhya is making a new record in terms of tourist inflow where the number has swelled to three times as compared to last year. There is no room available in hotels, guest houses and even in the home stays in Ayodhya till January 3. Even in the rest houses of the temples and Mutts of Ayodhya there is hardly any room available. A large number of tourists coming to Ayodhya have been staying in Lucknow which is around 120 kilometer away from here. For the first time Ayodhya is witnessing heavy rush of people coming from southern states like Tamilnadi, Kerala, Karnataka, Telangana and Andhra.
Ayodhya and Varanasi see huge inflow of tourists
According to Harnaam Singh, hotel owner at Faizabad road in Lucknow, there is no room available anywhere even on the road that leads to Ayodhya, In the last 10 days the rent of home stays has doubled while hotels have been taking exorbitant charges. He said that many tourists prefer to stay in Lucknow and then travel to Ayodhya road. However these days there is a shortage of taxis in Lucknow or Ayodhya. Singh said that taxi owners have increased tariffs but still there is scarcity. He said that after completion of Kashi-Vishwanath corridor in Varanasi and construction of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, a large number of tourists are coming to these places.
Taxis are preferred mode of travel for tourists
Ajay Singh of Chouhan Travels in Lucknow informed that tourists coming from south India hire taxis to cover Ayodhya, Prayagraj and Varanasi in one round and hence the demand is high these days. He said that besides those coming from other states, the local people have been coming to Ayodhya and Varanasi in large numbers. With the reports of heavy traffic jams coming from hill regions, more and more people are now heading towards places like Ayodhya, Varanasi and Mathura.
Pointing towards this new trend of tourists from southern states coming to religious cities of UP, Professor Ajay Prakash of Business Administration department of Lucknow University, said that this would help the business of these places. He said that roughly Ayodhya will get a business of around ₹150 to ₹200 crore due to this year end rush of tourists. He said that the increased number of tourists to Ayodhya will help in boosting trade as well as generate new employment.
