Immense possibilities of tourism in UP: CM Adityanath

Lucknow, Jun 26 (PTI) Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday said there are immense possibilities of tourism in Uttar Pradesh and added that 48 crore tourists visited the state last year.

The chief minister said that most of the tourists came for religious tourism in the state.

"In 2023, this number was more than 10 crore in Kashi. There were over 7.5 crore in Mathura-Vrindavan and over five crore in Ayodhya. After the construction of Lord Shri Ram temple in Ayodhya after 500 years, this number has increased manifold," he said.

Addressing the dialogue programme organized on eco-tourism at the Indira Gandhi Pratishthan, Adityanath said there are already many possibilities of religious tourism in places like Naimisharanya, Chitrakoot, Shuktirth, Vindhyavasini Dham, Maa Pateshwari Dham, Maa Shakambhari Dham Saharanpur, Buddhist pilgrimage site Kapilvastu, Sarnath, Kushinagar, Shravasti, Sankisa, places associated with Jain and Sufi tradition near Lucknow.

He said there are forests of ancient times in the Terai region of the state (Bahraich, Lakhimpur Kheri, Shravasti, Balrampur, Pilibhit), whereas forests have vanished in Nepal on the other side.

"Chuka, Dudhwa, Pilibhit Tiger Reserve, now work is being done to advance the Tiger Reserve in Chitrakoot and Amangarh of Bijnor," he said.

The chief minister said that along with religious tourism, there are also possibilities of heritage and eco tourism in the state.

"There should be an attempt to connect with the past and history," Adityanath said.

The Uttar Pradesh Eco Tourism Development Board has been formed with the aim that we all may be aware of future warnings, he added. PTI ABN AS AS