Virendra Singh Rawat
Uttar Pradesh has logged a tourist inflow of almost 650 million in calendar 2024.
This is a growth of nearly 17 percent from 480 million in 2023, according to the latest figures released by the Uttar Pradesh tourism department.
Agra emerged as the top destination for foreign tourists, with 1.466 million international visitors in 2024.
Foreign tourism also saw a notable rise, with approximately 2.3 million tourists flocking to UP.
The number of foreign tourists grew by 667,000 from 1.6 million in 2023 to 2.269 million in 2024.
UP culture and tourism minister Jaiveer Singh said Ayodhya saw a sharp surge in visitors following the consecration of Lord Ram temple.
Ayodhya welcomed over 16.4 million pilgrims in 2024, up from 5.757 million in 2023, marking a significant rise of over 10 million.
Other major tourist destinations also recorded substantial increases.
Varanasi attracted over 11 million tourists, an increase of 8.2 million from the previous year.
Mathura saw a rise of 12 million visitors, and Prayagraj recorded an increase of 591,000 tourists.
Other notable foreign tourist hotspots included Varanasi (309,000), Kushinagar (251,000), Mathura (136,000), and Ayodhya (26,048).