India eyes ‘substantial’ tourism uptick from religious fervour amid Ayodhya Hindu temple opening

India is eyeing a boost in religious tourism following the inauguration of a Ram temple in the ancient city of Ayodhya, which is likely to pave the way for revamps of other pilgrimage spots and increase footfalls across the country.

India’s majority Hindu population believes that Ayodhya is the birthplace of Ram, an incarnation of the Vishnu god. In 1992, Hindu mobs razed a mosque in the city, where they said a temple had earlier existed.

The campaign to build a Ram temple has been at the centre of a three-decade campaign by the ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

“Certainly, Ayodhya is expected to witness a substantial influx of both permanent residents and transient visitors,” said Dikshu Kukreja, the architect who has been tasked with the modernisation plan of the city to cope with the expected surge.

“To address this, our focus was on establishing robust connectivity, including an international airport, world-class railway stations, and state-of-the-art bus terminals,” he added.

With a US$10 billion makeover, the city is expected to attract more than 50 million tourists annually, having a multiplier effect on hotels and other economic activity and serving as a template for infrastructure-driven tourism, says US-based investment firm Jefferies.

06:57

Inauguration of India’s Ayodhya temple tipped to whip up Hindu nationalism ahead of elections

India has 42 Unesco World Heritage sites, several of them associated with places of worship. Religious tourism accounts for the biggest chunk of visitors in the country.

Celebrations were held on Monday across the nation by mostly Hindus after Modi’s call to treat the day like Diwali, the festival of lights, which marks Ram’s return to Ayodhya in Hindu mythology.