Ram Temple Opening: How spiritual tourism is booming in Ayodhya

India is focused on the grand "pran pratishtha" (consecration) ceremony of the under-construction Ram temple in Ayodhya.From the newly inaugurated Maharishi Valmiki Airport to the newly renovated railway station, the city itself has undergone a huge transformation ahead of the temple’s inauguration on 22 January.Large posters bearing a symbolic image of the upcoming Ram temple, design of the new airport along with a message that hails Ayodhya as a city of "Maryada, Dharm and Sanskriti" have been put up in the temple town, including at locations near the airport and the station and the bypass road.Experts believe that such initiatives will result in an enormous rise in spiritual tourism.Let’s take a closer look.The spiritual tourism boom in AyodhyaOn New Year's Eve, Ritesh Agarwal, the founder, and CEO of OYO, the largest chain of affordable hotels in the country, released data highlighting Ayodhya's attraction as a travel destination, outperforming even well-known favourites like beaches or hills.He said 80 per cent more users were searching for stays in the sacred city, one of the highest spikes on the platform. Taking to X, Agarwal said, "Ayodhya will be the biggest tourist place in India" and added that Banaras or Varanasi is doing exceptionally well when another user asked, "What happened to Varanasi in the last three years the tourist influx, much more than that expected for Ayodhya?""Ayodhya saw a 70 per cent jump in OYO app users compared to 60 per cent in Nainital and 50 per cent in Goa. Holy destinations are now India's favourite destinations," he continued, adding, "Spiritual tourism will be one of the biggest growth drivers of the tourism industry in the next five years."Prior to the magnificent temple's opening, hotel rates in Ayodhya reportedly soared and many are already booked, according to numerous travel internet sites. With thirty opulent, air-conditioned tents priced between Rs 20,000 and Rs 30,000 a night, Ayodhya Tent City is already sold out for the dates of January 20 to 27.Anticipating a spike in demand, hotel chains and investors are also shifting their focus towards Ayodhya.The city now has five branded hotels in various phases of development, totaling 520 rooms.The managing director of JLL's hotels and hospitality group, Jaideep Dang, stated that investments of about Rs 350 crore are projected for the building of hotels in Ayodhya. Deals have already been inked by hotel companies such as Sarovar Hotels & Resorts, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, Marriott International, and Indian Hotels Company Litmited (IHCL), according to The Times of India.A consistent upward trendAround 7,000 people are expected to attend the inauguration, and after the temple opens, the Ayodhya Development Authority anticipates three to five lakh visitors every day in a month, reported News18.The news channel quoted Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath as saying, “When the construction and development works of the Ram temple in Ayodhya are completed in 2024, tourism to the city will increase by 10 times”.The Uttar Pradesh Tourism Department recorded 2.36 crore domestic and 1,465 foreign tourists in the Ayodhya district in 2022, up from 1.73 lakh domestic and zero foreign visitors in 2021, marking an amazing milestone with 8,342.7 per cent yearly tourism increase.[caption id="attachment_13550132" align="alignnone" width="640"] The consecration of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya is scheduled for 22 January. Image Courtesy: @ANI/X[/caption]According to the report citing the official data, almost 30 lakh devotees came to Ayodhya on New Year's Eve of 2022. Ayodhya Police was ready to handle roughly 50 lakh guests on the first day of 2023.The city also experienced a significant rise in tourism between 2017 and 2022 compared to the preceding six years, according to the department's most recent data.In 2017, the district welcomed 2.8 lakh domestic and 1,215 foreign visitors.By 2018, that number had increased to 3.1 lakh domestic and 1,292 foreign visitors, and by 2019 to 3.4 lakh domestic and 1,365 foreign visitors.By 2020 and 2021, it was down to 1.73 lakh domestic and 174 foreign visitors, and 2.82 lakh domestic and zero foreign visitors.But in 2022, it shattered all previous records with 2.39 crore domestic and 1,465 foreign tourists to the Ayodhya district.Better connectivity – a cherry on topTwo new Amrit Bharat trains and six Vande Bharat trains were flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.The Amrit Bharat trains are a new kind of superfast passenger trains that use 'push-pull' technology to improve both passenger comfort and speed.[caption id="attachment_13558852" align="alignnone" width="640"] A view of the Ayodhya airport on 28 December. PTI File Photo[/caption]The Vande Bharat trains flagged off by Prime Minister Modi will kick start operations on 4 January. The train will travel six days a week between Ayodhya and Delhi's Anand Vihar station, stopping in Kanpur and Lucknow. Three Vande Bharat trains— the other two being the Gorakhpur-Lucknow and New Delhi-Varanasi trains — will also leave from Uttar Pradesh.At a cost of more than ₹ 1,450 crore, the Maharishi Valmiki International Airport in Ayodhya is the 6,500 square metre airport terminal equipped to handle roughly 10 lakh passengers a year.Airline companies plan to provide service to and from major cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, and Ahmedabad to accommodate the thousands of visitors that the Ram Temple is projected to receive each day following the sacred ritual.More jobs & better economyThe Ram Temple's construction has already improved Ayodhya's economic situation today.The growing number of tourists visiting the district is also opening up new career opportunities for locals.Around the temple, a number of new shops have opened up, providing tourists with a selection of regional goods.Every business owner, small or large, will be able to generate revenue from the rising demand for products, services, lodging, and transportation.