Uttar Pradesh emerges as major tourism hub as visitor numbers touch 166 crore

Tourist arrivals in Uttar Pradesh have increased from around 23 crore annually in 2017 to 166 crore till December last year, state Tourism Minister Jaiveer Singh said on Monday.

Speaking at a programme in Firozabad, where Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath inaugurated and laid foundation stones for 81 development projects worth more than Rs 658 crore, Singh said the state has emerged as a major tourism destination due to improvements in infrastructure, connectivity and the preservation of cultural heritage.

“Uttar Pradesh has witnessed a major transformation in the tourism sector. Where around 23 crore tourists used to visit the state annually in 2017, the number increased to 166 crore till December last year under the leadership of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. This has created a new identity for Uttar Pradesh across the world,” Singh said.

He said Uttar Pradesh has emerged not only as a tourism hub but also as a destination offering diverse cultural experiences. According to Singh, the state has become a preferred destination over the past nine years for visitors from across India and abroad.

Over the past nine years, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has reshaped Uttar Pradesh’s development strategy around what his government describes as a “temple economy”. Under this approach, tourism has evolved from a cultural sector into a key contributor to economic growth, infrastructure development and employment generation.

By promoting and developing religious and heritage sites, Uttar Pradesh has attracted more than 156 crore visitors, including over 36 lakh foreign tourists, strengthening its position as a major spiritual and cultural destination. The strategy has focused on creating large-scale religious infrastructure projects designed to accommodate growing visitor numbers while improving the overall tourist experience, reported The Times of India.