VARANASI Kashi is witnessing a tourism boom with around 12 lakh tourists having visited the temple town this weekend. The previous year (2022) saw a footfall of over seven crore tourists while the first quarter of 2023 recorded over 1.8 crore tourists, said experts in the hospitality and tourism sector, attributing the increased numbers to the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor and spiritual tourism.
“Varanasi is seeing a tourism boom, which started last year. It is good for every sector in general and the hospitality industry in particular. As far as I can recall, tourists in such a large numbers have never visited the city in the first quarter of the year ever before,” said Rahul Mehta, president, Tourism Welfare Association, Varanasi.
“Saree industry, guest house operators and tea stall owners are reaping the benefits of this boom,” he said.
Banaras Hotels Association president Gokul Sharma said, “Around 12 lakh tourists visited Varanasi this weekend. All hotels and lodges were packed to capacity. The situation was such that many tourists didn’t get a room in hotels along the Ganga.”
“Religious tourism has impacted the overall economy and the tourism boom has infused fresh life into the hospitality and saree industry. There are around 1,200 hotels/lodges in Varanasi, and those along the Ganga are high in demand on weekends. The trend is likely to continue in days to come,” he said.
“The demand for sarees has increased over the last few months. This sector is also doing well due to boom in tourism sector,” said Banarasi saree maker and master weaver Babu Bhai.
{{/usCountry}}“The demand for sarees has increased over the last few months. This sector is also doing well due to boom in tourism sector,” said Banarasi saree maker and master weaver Babu Bhai.
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