Page 2 - Religious Tourism

Aiming to boost tourism, UP to market 'Buddhist Circuit' in South-East Asia

UP tourism minister Jaiveer Singh directed the officials to promote and market the various Buddhist Circuit destinations of UP at the national and international levels

Rajasthan govt to boost religious tourism by enhancing temple towns, infra

Tourism contributes roughly 12-14% to the state economy and employs over 7.5 million to 8 million, the third largest after agriculture and textiles

More than 1.5 mn foreign Muslims arrive in Mecca for annual Hajj pilgrimage

Muslim pilgrims have been streaming into Saudi Arabia's holy city of Mecca ahead of the start of the Hajj later this week, as the annual pilgrimage returns to its monumental scale. Saudi officials say more than 1.5 million foreign pilgrims have arrived in the country by Tuesday, the vast majority by air, from across the world. More are expected, and hundreds of thousands of Saudis and others living in Saudi Arabia will also join them when the pilgrimage officially begins on Friday. Saudi officials have said they expect the number of pilgrims this year to exceed 2023, when more than 1.8 million people performed Hajj, approaching pre-pandemic levels. In 2019, more than 2.4 million Muslims made the pilgrimage. The pilgrims included 4,200 Palestinians from the occupied West Bank who arrived in Mecca earlier this month, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs. Palestinians in the Gaza Strip were not able to travel to Saudi Arabia for Hajj this year, because

Religious tourism is spurring real estate growth in India's pilgrim towns

Record tourist influx and government investments drive property prices up in temple cities

Char Dham Yatra: U'khand govt extends ban on VIP darshan till May 31

Uttarakhand Chief Secretary said that in order to streamline the process of Darshan at the Dhams, state government has started a process of registration for Chardham Yatra

State govts can develop dharmshalas at religious places in MP: CM Yadav

Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Monday invited governments of other states to build dharmshalas (lodging facilities) at prominent religious spots in Madhya Pradesh for the visiting devotees. Yadav chaired a cabinet meeting before leaving for Ayodhya where he, state ministers and their wives are scheduled to offer prayers at the Lord Ram temple later in the day. The chief minister termed the Ayodhya visit a "very important occasion" and said the government will expedite the implementation of various decisions regarding the development of religious spots in MP. "Our government will also make efforts to build a dharmshala (lodging facility) in Ayodhya for pilgrims of Madhya Pradesh. We will also try to provide land to governments of other states for (constructing) dharmshalas at prominent religious places in MP for pilgrims from their states," Yadav said. Since a large number of people from various parts of the country visit the famous temples in Ujjain and Omkareshwar in MP, government

UP religious tourism gets Rs 85K cr boost: Ayodhya, Varanasi top gainers

These projects - planned across leading religious tourism hotspots, including Ayodhya and Varanasi - pertain to hotels, resorts, guest houses, infrastructure development etc

Religious tourism to create 200,000 jobs in 4-5 years, says NLB Services

Religious tourism is expected to create up to 2 lakh job opportunities in the next 4-5 years, global technology and digital talent solutions provider NLB Services CEO Sachin Alug said. Religious tourism has been gaining momentum in India and is expected to grow annually at over 16 per cent between 2023 and 2030, Alug said. According to him, the segment accounts for 60 per cent of domestic tourism. "In the next 4-5 years, religious tourism is anticipated to create up to two lakh job opportunities. With a projected revenue of USD 60 billion by 2028, religious tourism will open employment avenues for both temporary and permanent workers," Alug told PTI. According to industry reports, the number of overnight journeys for pilgrimages went up post-Covid and there was a 14 per cent rise in donations in 2021-2022, he said. The recent inauguration of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya could further boost religious tourism, he said. "The inauguration of Ram Mandir alone is expected to add nearly 25,000

After Ayodhya, SpiceJet plans to connect more tourist, religious places

After Ayodhya, SpiceJet plans to expand its business over the next two years and increase connectivity between various tourist and religious destinations including Lakshadweep, the airline's chief Ajay Singh said. The domestic carrier has also plans to operate seaplanes and is awaiting infrastructure development for water ports, the CMD told PTI in an interaction. "I think this is the time to expand. SpiceJet will do its utmost to expand its business over the next two years. We want to connect many tourist destinations, religious tourism, medical tourism, places like Lakshadweep," Singh said in reply to a question on company's expansion plan. According to Sing, the airline already has the licence to operate seaplanes and plans are in the works to connect several locations through seaplane services. On February 1, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, and Minister of State V K Singh jointly inaugurated SpiceJet's direct fli

TMS Ep612: Religious tourism, Interim Budget, CAT III-B landing system

What does Ayodhya mean for the future of religious tourism? Will the Interim Budget boost welfare expenditure? Will Ayodhya-related stock rally continue? What's CAT III-B landing system? Answers here

Ayodhya sees infrastructure push amid stagnant income, tourism numbers

An airport, railway station, connecting highways, roads, water, and power projects are among the initiatives announced ahead of the Ram Mandir temple consecration ceremony on January 22

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Security tightened in West Bengal as devotees gather for Gangasagar Mela

The annual fair at one of the oldest and leading prilgrimage sites in the country draws devotees every year, who also take a holy dip in the sacred waters of the Ganga at Sagardweep

Puri heritage corridor project to open to the public on Jan 17 : SJTMC

Gajapati Maharaja of Puri, Divyasingha Deb Friday said the much awaited Puri Herritage Corridor (Srimandir Parikrama) will be dedicated to the devotees on January 17, 2024. Deb, who is the chief religious functionary of the famed temple besides being the chairman of the Shree Jagannath Temple Managing Committee, visited the spot earlier in the day. Deb, who is considered the first servitor of the sibling deities Lord Jagannath, Goddess Subhadra and Lord Balabhadra, later said, Many of the works are nearing completion and it will be open to the public on January 17, 2023. A special puja and havan' will be organised on the occasion. Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) chief administrator Ranjan Kumar Das said the Parikrama project will be inaugurated in a lavish programme with the help of the district administration. He said a grand puja will be held for about five days on the occasion and is likely to be witnessed by large number of people from here and abroad. The temple'

Mount Kailash to become accessible from India September onwards: Official

Hirak Project has been given the responsibility of developing 'Kailash View Point' by the Indian government

Rajasthan govt announces Rs 13.48 cr aid for boosting religious tourism

The Rajasthan government on Monday sanctioned Rs 13.48 crore to promote religious tourism at Nagaur, Jaisalmer and Alwar regions of the state. A spokesperson said the state government has been continuously working to promote religious tourism and develop various facilities for pilgrims at these places. Under the initiative, Rs 3.10 crore has been sanctioned for Butati in Nagaur district, Rs 1.65 crore for Ghatveshwar Mahadev Temple, Rs 1.61 crore for Harmal Das Ji Maharaj Temple and Rs 1.36 crore for improving facilities at Dargah Hazrat Samman Badi Khatu. Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has approved funds worth Rs 1.50 crore for developing Shri Kaledungar Rai Temple complex, a historical religious tourist place located in Jaisalmer. Besides an aid of Rs 4.24 crore has been sanctioned for the development work of Mataji Mandir and Ganga Mata Mandir, Talvriksha located at Bansur Fort in Alwar district. Notably, the announcement in this regard was made in the 2023-24 budget. The desert

From waste management to multi-level parking, Ayodhya gets a civic makeover

The construction of the Lord Ram Temple in Ayodhya will completely transform the holy city

Rajasthan govt plans to give a push to weekend getaways, religious tourism

The state gets 20-25 million tourists each year

MoU signed for ferry service on Brahmaputra to connect 7 religious sites

A memorandum of understanding was signed for a 'Riverine Based Religious Tourism Circuit' to connect seven historic temples, building on religious tourism in Northeast India

Joshimath land subsidence: Admin launches rescue, rehabilitation ops

The tourists have been banned from staying in the hotels damaged by land subsidence and the operation of the ropeway going from Joshimath to Auli has also been stopped in a view of public safety