Spiritual tourism boom: IHCL, Sarovar, Radisson chase Ayodhya, Ujjain, Varanasi pipelines
Tourism contributed Rs 15.73 lakh cr (5.22%) to FY24 GDP. Ayodhya drew 110 mn visitors in 6 months; rooms must scale from 3,500 to 8,500-12,500 by 2031. Sarovar reports +200% pilgrimage demand in 2 years. Govt has committed Rs 13,000 cr+ via PRASHAD and UDAN, with Ujjain weekend footfall surging to 150-250k post Mahakal Lok.
Spiritual tourism is reshaping Indian retail and hospitality, with IHCL, Sarovar, and Radisson aggressively expanding hotel pipelines in Ayodhya, Ujjain, Varanasi, Deoghar; airlines adding tier-2/3 routes; and government investing Rs 13,000+ cr in pilgrimage infrastructure driving footfall, retail expansion, and GST collections.