Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday (18 December) addressed the 37th annual convention of the Indian Association of Tour Operators.

Speaking to the tour operators, Adityanath stated that after the Ram temple in Ayodhya is constructed, tourism in the city will increase by 10 times. He also asserted that Uttar Pradesh is the safest state in the country for travellers.

The Chief Minister said that efforts made by his government in the last five years has made Uttar Pradesh number one in domestic tourism and that there are infinite possibilities in the area of religious-spiritual tourism in the state.

"We have Kashi (Varanasi) which is the oldest city in the world, and the cultural and spiritual capital of India. One year has passed since the inauguration of the Shri Kashi Vishwanath Dham. Earlier, usually, one crore tourists used to visit Varanasi in a year but, this year, one crore tourists came to Varanasi in the month of Sawan alone," Adityanath said.

The Chief Minister also added that Ayodhya is the centre of faith and everyone aspires to come here once in their lifetime.

"The construction of the grand (Ram) temple is being done on war footing in Ayodhya. Along with the Deepotsav, many works have been done for the development of tourism in Ayodhya," he said.

"When the construction and development works of the Ram temple in Ayodhya is completed in 2024, tourism to the city will increase by 10 times,' the Chief Minister said, adding that similarly, the state also has Mathura, Vrindavan, Gokul and Barsana and "Whether indigenous or foreign, people have a connection with Mathura."

Infrastructure development works are going on for the development of Mathura-Vrindavan by the central and state governments at a cost of Rs 25,000-Rs 30,000 crore, he said.

He also added along with spiritual development, 'you all must have felt the physical development as well'.

Citing the example of the 2019 Kumbh in Prayagraj, Adityanath said 24 crore people came to the city to attend it and it was one of the best organised events.

The Chief Minister also mentioned government's plans to develop the Ramayana, Krishna and Buddhist circuits.

Important Buddhist sites such as Sarnath, Kushinagar, Kapilvastu, Shravasti, Kaushambi are located in Uttar Pradesh while an international airport is being built at Shravasti in Kushinagar, Adityanath said.

He said Naimisharanya, the land of the Vedic Shrutis, and Chitrakoot that is associated with Lord Ram's exile are also located in the state.

There is immense potential for eco and heritage tourism in Terai, Vindhya and Bundelkhand, Adityanath said.

The Chief Minister assured tour operators the safety of tourists and better connectivity. "Tourists were completely safe in the state and Uttar Pradesh is the safest state today in the country," he said.

“Azamgarh, a place people were scared of visiting in the past, will soon have an airport through its connectivity with the expressway. Apart from this, airports are going to be built at 10 new places including Aligarh and Moradabad,“ he added.

(With inputs from PTI.)