New Delhi: “I am a Ram bhakt. When I heard that Bhagwan Ram was coming to Ayodhya, my soul told me that I needed to go,” said Shyam Manohar, 45, a resident of Lucknow. Manohar, his wife and three children are set to travel to Varanasi on 25 January after the town is vacated by India’s VVIPs. And he has taken the services of a local tour company.
India’s leading tour and travel companies descended on Ayodhya even before Ram Lalla, and are tapping into the faith market that’s about to burst in the temple town. Uttar Pradesh is making its tourism circuit. It sees its own Madurai-Rameshwaram-Kanyakumari in the Kashi-Prayagraj-Chitrakoot-Ayodhya route. From packaged sacred Ganga water to services of Hindu priests, travel companies are making all efforts to woo the devotees.
Major public streets and landmarks across the country are dotted with saffron flags and cutouts of Lord Ram, and small and large banners celebrating the construction of the Ram Mandir. “That’s what we are trying to capitalise on,” said Daniel D’Souza, president and country head of SOTC Travels.
A new tourist circuit in making
Last week, SOTC Travels advertised a six-day trip with an itinerary spread across Varanasi, Prayagraj, Chitrakoot and Ayodhya, in a national daily. Within 24 hours, the company received over a thousand queries and more than 100 bookings with over 200 tourists wanting to travel to Ayodhya, D’Souza said, adding that “it’s only the beginning. We are expecting the numbers to go significantly higher.”
Not just SOTC, MakeMyTrip and Thomas Cook too said tourist influx is rising, and comprising people of all age groups and in groups of larger than 20. “Yesterday we got two groups of 16 and 20 people, all family members. And bookings are coming from across the country, including South India, Gujarat and Mumbai,” said D’Souza.
While some travellers are booking expensive tickets to be among the first ones to witness the new city, others are travelling by bus, train and cab. To make the most out of this opportunity, SOTC Travels has deputed managers at Ayodhya to guide its customers throughout the trip, managing their food and travel itinerary.
Apart from giving the pilgrims a taste of the local food such as the famed ‘Banarasi paan’ and lassi, SOTC Travels is providing them with packaged water from the Ganga River. And its offers have led to a significant increase in the traffic to its website, said D’Souza. “I am seeing a 10x kind of jump.”
As per the data provided by MakeMyTrip to ThePrint, the travel company has witnessed a 97 per cent growth in searches for spiritual destinations in the last two years. Among these, the top destination has been Ayodhya with a 585 per cent increase, followed by Ujjain and Badrinath, which saw an increase of 359 per cent and 343 per cent.
Romil Pant, executive vice-president at Thomas Cook, said the “very significant” awareness across India of the opening ceremony of the Ram Mandir had “reignited” demand for travel within the country, with even millennials travelling to Ayodhya. “The pilgrimage market has moved from the so-called senior citizen segment to the younger people segment,” he said, adding there was a “1,000 per cent” increase in searches on its platform.
Thomas Cook is gearing up to cater to the demand. Included in its packages are the services of local priests. “The pandits will provide a wholesome experience to our customers.”
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Market potential sans infra support
Putting early-bird devotees in buses and planes and bringing them to Ayodhya isn’t going to sustain the tourist interest. It’s the infrastructure that will.
“There are no five-star hotels or branded properties in Ayodhya right now. The government is building it slowly and once that happens, we will see a significant number of people going to Ayodhya,” said D’Souza.
As of now, D’Souza said, tourists are going for day trips, booking hotels in places as far as Varanasi and Lucknow — 220 and 135 km away from Ayodhya.
Keeping this in mind, travel companies are offering customers fixed as well as customisable travel packages not just for Ayodhya but also its neighbouring cities where branded and high-end hotels—such as Radisson, Sarovar Portico, Taj Hotels and Tree of Life—are already present.
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The hot cake
Manohar bought his travel package from a local travel agency, Samar Tours & Travels. While he could have easily driven to Ayodhya, the agency made his travel easier with their offering of an assortment of facilities and guidance, he said.
“We have a driver who will take us everywhere. He will be waiting for us in the parking lot while we roam around and see places,” said Manohar, adding that besides the Ram Mandir, he is planning to visit Hanuman Garhi, Dashrath Mahal and Yamuna Ghat among other places.
Ajay Kumar Singh, 52—whose agency organised Manohar’s travel to Ayodhya—said in the 22 years since starting the company, this was the first time customers were looking for trips to Ayodhya on a large scale. “The difference is huge. For instance, if we get ten tourists, five want to go to Ayodhya,” he said.
Ayodhya is arriving on the radar of international tourists as well.
Tarun Mathur, owner of Aatman Trails, which exclusively organises India tours for customers abroad, particularly Non-Resident Indians, told ThePrint that travellers were changing their itineraries to visit Ayodhya.
“Right now Ayodhya is a hot cake. I have an NRI market from the US, and they are excited and plan to go to Ayodhya,” he said.
In the next year, he foresees a tourism boom going beyond the temple and spreading across the Ayodhya city as it grows.
“Not many even looked at Ayodhya as a travel destination; now it is truly a global pilgrimage destination,” said Pant.
(Edited by Theres Sudeep)