Following the grand ‘Pran Pratishtha’ ceremony of Lord Ram Lalla in Ayodhya on Monday and the temple opening its doors to the public on Tuesday, a swarm of devotees is flooding the Ram Temple chanting slogans of ‘Jai Shree Ram’, ‘Jai Sitaram’. It has led certain national and international agencies to come up with reports suggesting that Ayodhya is going to witness a huge influx of tourists and devotees in the near future and will play a vital role in the realization of the USD 1 trillion GDP target of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. Larsen & Toubro, the company involved in the construction of the temple, has claimed that the newly constructed Ram temple will remain in existence for the next 1,000 years because of the quality of construction and engineering and that its economic impact will be equally significant.
“Another study recently conducted through SBI Research states that due to the Ram Temple and other tourism-focused initiatives, Uttar Pradesh is expected to collect taxes of Rs 25 billion in 2024-2025, making it clear that Ayodhya will be the most important. The lead minister’s office said in a press release. Foreign inventory research company Jefferies says Ayodhya will surpass Vatican City and Mecca in terms of the number of worshippers visiting the site. Vatican City is particularly the holiest place for Catholics, where millions of other people come. yearly. Similarly, Mecca in Saudi Arabia, which is the main pilgrimage site for the Muslim community, receives millions of visitors every year.
According to the report, Ayodhya is expected to attract around 5 crore devotees annually, making it a major tourism destination not only within Uttar Pradesh but also in the entire country. Jefferies has also said that with the construction of the Ram Temple as well as the provision of various facilities, such as a new international airport, an advanced railway station, a township, road connectivity, and new hotels, Ayodhya is becoming a hot spot for tourism. This will further strengthen Uttar Pradesh’s second place as a tourist destination on the map of India, it states. According to the report, along with the increase in the number of devotees, Ayodhya will also see a growth in its annual revenue. It mentions that Tirupati Balaji in Andhra Pradesh, which attracts 2.5 crore devotees every year, generates an annual revenue of Rs 1200 crore, whereas Vaishno Devi receives 80 lakh people annually and gets an annual revenue of Rs 500 crore. Similarly, in Agra, the Taj Mahal attracts 70 lakh visitors, generating an annual revenue of Rs 100 crore, while Agra Fort sees 30 lakh visitors, contributing to an annual revenue of Rs 27.5 crore.
The report states that Mecca attracts 2 million people each year, contributing to Saudi Arabia’s annual profit of $12 billion, while Vatican City, with 90 lakh tourists a year, generates an annual profit of $315 million. More than one lakh devotee is expected to stop at Ayodhya one and both days for the darshan of Lord Shri Ram. This number could soon reach 3 lakh devotees per day. If this happens, it is possible that more than 10 million devotees will climb into Ayodhya both one and both years. If the devotee spends around Rs 2,500 on his scale, the local economy of Ayodhya alone would amount to Rs 25 billion,” the press release reads.
In particular, devotees traveling to Ayodhya will likely stop at other religious sites such as the Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi and the Banke Bihari Temple in Mathura. It would also have a positive effect on the local economies of Varanasi and Mathura. In this way, the economy of Uttar Pradesh could directly receive an additional dose of about 1 lakh crore of rupees every year. This direct boost could have a ripple effect on the local economy, potentially with a five-fold effect. and thus contributing to India’s economic development.
In addition, devoted tourism creates new employment opportunities in sectors such as transportation, hospitality and the production of local goods. This not only benefits the local economy but also strengthens overall economic progress. Countries such as Switzerland, Italy, France, United States, United Arab Emirates, etc. , have achieved unparalleled economic progress based on tourism. Similarly, with the inauguration of the Lord Shri Ram Temple in Ayodhya, India is ready to join those nations, and its rate of economic progress may exceed 10%. I recommend that Ayodhya has a chance to replace the destiny of Uttar Pradesh and the country. Notably, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have reshaped the symbol of Ayodhya through a comprehensive progression. (ANI)
(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)