Ad row: Aim was to promote religious tourism not hurt sentiments, says Oyo

"We have immense respect for the diverse faiths and beliefs of our country and celebrate India's rich spiritual traditions," the company added

Facing netizens' outrage over its newspaper advertisement, travel tech unicorn Oyo on Friday clarified that the ad was meant to promote religious tourism in India and not hurt any religious sentiments.

Several users took to social media platform X to raise objections to the phrase 'God is Everywhere. And so is Oyo' in the advertisement about company-serviced stays in spiritual destinations including Ajmer, Ayodhya, Varanasi, Prayagraj, Mathura, Amritsar, Shirdi, Ujjain, among others.

"Our intention behind the recent advertisement was to promote religious tourism in India, and not hurt any religious sentiments," Oyo stated.

"We have immense respect for the diverse faiths and beliefs of our country and celebrate India's rich spiritual traditions," it added.

The company further explained that as more Indians embrace spiritual tourism, it is dedicated to enhancing this sacred experience - "and that is what we wanted to highlight through the advertisement".

Oyo has announced plans to add 500 hotels across 12 major pilgrimage destinations by the end of this year.