UP becoming top tourist destination for New Year

Uttar Pradesh is fast emerging as a New Year holiday destination for domestic and foreign tourists, mainly because of its affordable and safe hotels, world-renowned heritage sites and pilgrimage places.

According to a just-concluded analysis-cum-survey by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India, UP is expected to attract about three lakh tourists for year-end holidays.

“Tourist hotspots in northern, central India and in majority of the coastal belt are expected to see influx of about 15 lakh domestic and foreign tourists, of which around 3 lakh will come to UP,” said the study that was conducted by ASSOCHAM, under the aegis of its Social Development Foundation.

The study found that domestic tourism is also likely to register an increase of up to 10 per cent during this New Year holiday season as travellers plan to refrain from going overseas in wake of recent terror attacks in most sought after global tourist destinations of Bangkok and Paris.

“Tourism, which is the mainstay of the economy in Andaman and Nicobar, and in states like Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Kerala, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh together with the states in the north-east are likely to do brisk business and attract tourists in large numbers,” said Mr D.S. Rawat, secretary-general of ASSOCHAM while releasing the findings of the study on Friday.

The study further noted that this trend is expected to revive the domestic tourism sector which has been facing a lull due to growing inflation, rising airfares, high hotel room rates, fluctuations in the value of rupee against foreign currencies and other related factors.

The ASSOCHAM Social Development Foundation had interacted with about 500 travel enthusiasts (working professionals) in the age group of about 25-60 years in Ahmadabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi-NCR, Indore, Jaipur, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai and Pune during the survey conducted over the past one month.