Lucknow: The remarkable rise in tourism in Ayodhya following the construction of the Shri Ram Temple has turned the city into one of Uttar Pradesh’s strongest economic engines. Driven by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s vision, Ayodhya today stands as a global symbol of both spirituality and modern development. The city’s tourism growth alone reflects Uttar Pradesh’s accelerating progress towards becoming a one trillion-dollar economy.
In 2023, before the temple’s completion, Ayodhya recorded 57.5 million visitors. After the Ram Temple was inaugurated, this number soared to over 160 million in 2024. In just the first six months of 2025, more than 230 million devotees visited Ram Lalla. The scale of this footfall surpasses annual tourist numbers recorded by destinations like the Taj Mahal, Varanasi, Mathura, and even by many countries. Railway stations are running at full capacity, hotels remain packed, and Ayodhya has firmly established itself as Uttar Pradesh’s premier tourism center.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath aims to make Uttar Pradesh India’s first one trillion-dollar state economy by 2029. The state recognizes that manufacturing and agriculture alone cannot achieve this milestone; the service sector must also be strengthened. Ayodhya is emerging as the state’s biggest strength in this space.
Ayodhya currently contributes around 1.5% to Uttar Pradesh’s GSDP and plays a pivotal role in the state’s trillion-dollar roadmap. Beyond being a spiritual destination, the city has become a dynamic hub of the new service economy, influencing growth across tourism, manufacturing, and agriculture-linked sectors.
Today, Ayodhya is synonymous with business, branding, and rapid economic expansion. Uttar Pradesh’s tourism industry is projected to cross ₹70,000 crore by 2028, with Ayodhya alone accounting for 20%–25% of the sector. This translates into an annual economic activity of ₹8,000–12,500 crore generated directly by the city. Local transport, street vendors, hotels, homestays, real estate, sweets, prasad, and restaurants have all benefited from this surge, turning each visitor into a source of livelihood, opportunity, and growth.
The Yogi government’s temple-centric development plan is transforming Ayodhya’s infrastructure at an unprecedented pace. Massive investments have reshaped the city’s roads, public facilities, and connectivity. Since 2020, over ₹2,150 crore has been spent on temple construction and related infrastructure. The increase in tourism linked to the Ram Temple is expected to bring Uttar Pradesh additional revenue of nearly ₹4 lakh crore annually.
The state government has also issued new guidelines for identifying and restoring historically significant temples, allowing up to 50% funding through CSR, grants, or donations. Railway stations have been modernized, and airport and air-connectivity upgrades have been fast-tracked. These developments have fueled growth across hospitality, transport, and real estate, with hotels and guesthouses expanding rapidly. When infrastructure grows, property values rise, employment increases, and new businesses emerge, creating a multi-layered economic transformation.
The temple restoration and development projects have given Ayodhya a renewed identity, not just as a spiritual destination, but as one of the fastest-growing economic centers of Uttar Pradesh.
