 "ambani donation ram mandir")
With the new Ram temple, Ayodhya is all set for a big change. The temple town on the banks of the Sarayu River is bustling with activity. It is where India's most powerful and influential figures gathered for the consecration, or "pran pratishtha," of the historic temple.
January 22 will be remembered as a day that not only saw the grand opening of the Ram temple but also changed the course of the town and its people. The mandir is expected to usher in a tourism boom, which is going to be good for businesses.
Besides that, Ayodhya is also a new hotspot for investment. From real estate developers to hotel owners, airlines to corporations, all eyes are set on the town in eastern Uttar Pradesh. This means more jobs for locals and more revenue for the state.
Ayodhya's makeover
Ayodhya has been prepping for the Ram temple. Now that all the celebrities have left, it's the everyday tourists who are thronging the temple town.
Development was in the works, and in December, the foundation stone for projects worth Rs 11,100 crore was laid. The temple town now boasts a new airport terminal that spans 6,500 square metres and will serve a million passengers each year. The Ayodhya Dham railway station was renovated for Rs 240 crore and now has amenities like air-conditioned retirement rooms, dormitories, staff lodging rooms, and more.
A greenfield town worth Rs 2,180 crore would also be built on 1,200 acres in Ayodhya. It will have plots set aside for mutts, ashrams, dharamshalas, and commercial activities. The Uttar Pradesh government launched the project to alleviate congestion in anticipation of the tourist surge.
The infrastructure growth also includes connecting highways, refurbished roads, water, and power projects.
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Gaurav Dayal, the divisional commissioner of Ayodhya, said that 102 memorandums of understanding (MoUs) worth around Rs 18,000 crore were signed during the Global Investors Summit for Ayodhya tourism. Several businesspeople have approached the government and district administration, expressing keen interest in investing in Ayodhya's tourism sector.
Under the Ayodhya Master Plan 2031, projects worth Rs 85,000 crore are in the pipeline to upgrade the temple town's infrastructure.
Ayodhya hospitality boom
Currently, Ayodhya has about 17 hotels with approximately 590 rooms. However, there will not be enough to accommodate the hundreds of thousands of pilgrims who will come to visit Ram mandir.
Top hotel chains have set their sights on Ayodhya. Over 50 major hotel construction projects are ongoing in and around the temple town. These include well-known hospital brands such as Taj, Oberoi, Trident, Marriott, Radisson, and Ginger.
The House of Abhinandan Lodha (HoABL), a Mumbai-based real estate corporation, will also build the world's first seven-star vegetarian-only hotel in Ayodhya. "We have received 25 proposals to establish hotels in Ayodhya, one of which is to construct a pure vegetarian seven-star hotel," Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said.
O Rama Hotels & Resorts will construct one of the city's largest hotels at a cost of Rs 140 crore. Other big industry projects will receive approximately Rs 420 crore in investment, according to News18.
Ayodhya hotel bookings soar ahead of consecration ceremony
Ahead of the Ram temple consecration, the online search for accommodation in Ayodhya surged. On booking.com, a travel portal, more than 75 per cent of the places selected for stay were unavailable. The platform has a list of 20 hotels, 12 apartments, 12 entire homes, seven homestays, and six guest houses.
Several hotels and other accommodations have reportedly upped their prices, with some hiking rates by 200 times the regular fare, a News18 report said.
By mid-December, hotel rooms priced at Rs 17,000 per night were selling for Rs 73,000. The Ayodhya Tent City, which has 30 luxurious air-conditioned tents, was fully booked for January 22, with each tent selling for Rs 30,000 per night. The staff at the Tent City anticipates 100 per cent occupancy for a few weeks after the Ram temple inauguration.
Apart from hotels, the Lodha group also plans to develop residential plots, villas, and high-rise luxury apartments in Ayodhya. The price of land has also surged.
"The realtors and hoteliers' growing interest in the city has resulted in a threefold surge in land prices in the recent past as prominent developers from Mumbai and Delhi are purchasing land parcels," Jaideep Dang, head of hotels & hospitality, India at real estate services firm JLL, was quoted as saying by Business Today.
Airlines and railways
India's air carriers, like IndiGo and Air India Express, have launched multiple flights connecting major cities with Ayodhya. Other airlines, like Akasa Air and SpiceJet, are unveiling plans to enhance air travel to Ayodhya.
Arrangements have also been made at the newly opened airport to accommodate chartered flights. Over 100 chartered planes arrived at the airport ahead of the consecration event.
Indian Railways has also introduced 200 "Aastha Special Trains" to Ayodhya after January 22. Devotees would be able to access these services throughout Maharashtra, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, and Delhi. There will also be trains from the northeast, most likely from Assam's Guwahati.
Major surge in tourist footfall in Ayodhya
The Ram temple will bolster India's thriving spiritual tourism industry.
Three to five lakh visitors are likely to visit the town every day for at least a month after the inauguration, reported CNBCTV18.
With more than $10 billion in investments made in new airports, revamped railway stations, townships, and improved roads, Ayodhya is expected to attract around 50 million to 10 million footfall every year, a report by Jefferies, an American investment bank and financial services firm, said.
Ayodhya's Ram mandir spurs job creation
Ahead of the Ram mandir opening, hospitality, travel, and tourism created 20,000 jobs in Ayodhya, according to a report in Economic Times. More work opportunities will be created as hotels and real estate developments are built, as well as an increase in tourist traffic, it added.
Randstad India's chief commercial officer, Yeshab Giri, predicted the creation of 20,000 to 25,000 permanent and temporary jobs. This figure is likely to rise steadily each year.
And it is not only Ayodhya that will benefit. Even adjacent cities such as Lucknow, Kanpur, and Gorakhpur are projected to benefit.
The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) estimated that the consecration ceremony alone would create Rs 1 trillion in business across the country.
"This event not only resonates with religious sentiments but also brings a surge in economic activities. The faith and trust of people are leading to the creation of many new businesses based on the country's traditional economic system," Praveen Khandelwal, national secretary general of CAIT, told news agency PTI.
