Tourism in Uttar Pradesh: Issues and Prospects

What the official syllabus says

Main Examination, General Studies V:

• Tourism in UP: Issues and prospects.

Topics in detail

Tourism resources

• World Heritage Sites: Taj Mahal, Agra Fort, Fatehpur Sikri
• Pilgrimage: Varanasi (Kashi Vishwanath, the ghats), Ayodhya, Mathura-Vrindavan, Prayagraj (Sangam, Kumbh), Chitrakoot, Vindhyachal, Naimisharanya
• Buddhist sites: Sarnath, Kushinagar, Shravasti, Kaushambi, Sankisa, Kapilavastu (Piprahwa)
• Jain sites: Ayodhya, Shravasti, Hastinapur, Deogarh; Sufi shrines: Fatehpur Sikri, Dewa Sharif, Kichhauchha
• Heritage cities: Lucknow, Jhansi, Jaunpur
• Nature and wildlife: Dudhwa National Park and tiger reserve, Pilibhit Tiger Reserve, Katarniaghat, the National Chambal Sanctuary, bird sanctuaries
• Fairs, festivals, cuisine and crafts as attractions

Circuits

• Buddhist circuit with Bihar and Nepal
• Ramayana circuit: Ayodhya, Shringverpur, Chitrakoot
• Krishna (Braj) circuit: Mathura, Vrindavan, Gokul, Govardhan, Barsana, Nandgaon
• Heritage arc: Agra, Lucknow, Varanasi
• Spiritual and Sufi circuits; eco-tourism circuits in the Terai

Policy and infrastructure

• UP Tourism Policy, 2022: incentives for hotels, homestays, heritage properties, wellness and adventure tourism
• Central schemes: Swadesh Darshan, PRASAD, Adopt a Heritage
• Air links: international airports at Varanasi, Lucknow, Kushinagar (opened 2021) and Ayodhya; expressways that shorten travel
• Redevelopment of pilgrimage centres (for example the Kashi Vishwanath Dham, 2021); riverfronts, cruises on the Ganga
• Mega events: the Kumbh at Prayagraj and its crowd, sanitation and transport planning

Issues

• Short stays and day-trip tourism (especially to Agra), so low spending per visitor
• Seasonality and crowding at pilgrimage sites; safety and crowd management
• Last-mile connectivity, signage, guides and hygiene at smaller sites
• Pressure on heritage and ecology: waste, encroachment, carrying capacity, pollution
• Safety of tourists, especially women and foreign visitors; touts
• Weak marketing of lesser-known sites and of rural and eco-tourism

Prospects

• Employment for local people: guides, homestays, transport, food and crafts
• Linking crafts and products (such as ODOP products) to tourism
• Rural tourism, wellness, MICE (meetings and conferences) and film tourism
• Digital tools: online booking, virtual tours, tourist information apps
• Sustainable tourism: community participation, limits on carrying capacity, conservation

Why tourism matters to UP

• A labour-intensive sector: jobs for people with different skill levels
• Linkages with transport, hotels, food, crafts and cultural industries
• A way to spread development to smaller towns and backward regions
• Soft power: UP's heritage as part of India's image abroad

Managing large religious gatherings

• Planning of temporary cities for the Kumbh and Magh Mela: sanitation, water, health camps, river safety
• Crowd control: holding areas, one-way routes, real-time monitoring, communication with pilgrims
• Lessons from past stampedes and the national guidelines on crowd management

Circuits and their main stops

Overlaps

• Monuments behind the heritage circuits: Architecture, Museums, Archives and Archaeology.
• National parks and sanctuaries, and the One District One Product policy: General Studies VI.