Kashi was most popular destination in UP in 2023 as 32 crore tourists visit the state

These numbers include a significant size of foreigners who visited India to explore the state.

Uttar Pradesh marked a significant milestone across diverse sectors in 2023. Besides rising to the top positions in several central and state welfare schemes, it also made significant strides in the tourism industry as well.

According to ANI, a total of 31,91,95,206 people from across the country explored Uttar Pradesh from January to September 2023, while the tally for foreign visitors stood at 9,54,866.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Lok Sabha constituency, Varanasi attracted the highest number of tourists last year. Meanwhile, popular cities like Prayagraj and Ayodhya also saw the arrival of crores of visitors.

Notably, Varanasi was explored by 8,42,04,814 tourists from around the world between January and September last year. These included 8,40,71,726 domestic tourists and 1,33,088 foreigners.

Prayagraj stood second in the list of popular tourist destinations in Uttar Pradesh. As many as 4,49,95,996 people visited the city in the first nine months of 2023. These included 4,49,93,289 people from India and 2,707 foreign tourists.

Third on the list was Ayodhya, which welcomed 2,03,64,347 tourists (including 1,634 from abroad) from January 23 to September 23 last year.

The highest number of tourist footfall in Uttar Pradesh was recorded between January and July, ranging between 5.56 to 5.80 crores, ANI reported.

Uttar Pradesh is expected to witness a jump in the tourism sector in 2024 as well after the opening of the grand Ram Mandir in Ayodhya on January 22.

The temple town in the state is currently being decked up for the ‘pran pratishtha’ or consecration ceremony of the Ram Lalla idol at the temple. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the auspicious ceremony on January 22, while the Ram temple trust has sent invitations to eminent personalities from all walks of life.