Maha Kumbh 2025 to give Uttar Pradesh chance to showcase tourism potential

To leverage its religious and spiritual tourism potential, the Uttar Pradesh government is pitching for global branding of Maha Kumbh Mela 2025, one of the world’s largest congregations of pilgrims.

 

“Maha Kumbh 2025 will represent India and UP before the domestic and international tourists. It is therefore imperative that visitors carry back a bouquet of pleasant memories of their stay. Therefore, we are going all out in our preparations,” a senior official said.

 

Although Kumbh is essentially a religious event, it has a major socioeconomic footprint and the state is promoting Maha Kumbh to harness its religious, spiritual and cultural tourism potential for job creation, socioeconomic growth and cultivating a positive image for UP, which is aspiring to become India’s first $1 trillion economy.

 

Moreover, apart from the traditional channels of communication and branding, the government is harnessing the power of social media to position Maha Kumbh 2025 as a vehicle for projecting ‘Brand UP’ in all its visages of culture, religion, economy, heritage and tradition.

 

Further, the state tourism department will set up a ‘Digital Kumbh Museum’ to showcase the cultural heritage of India and offer insight into the mythological and historical significance of the Kumbh.

 

Recently, the UP Cabinet approved a plan to organise roadshows in India and abroad to promote Maha Kumbh. Roadshows will be held in prominent Indian cities and other countries, including Netherlands, Thailand, Indonesia and Mauritius.

 

The state government will partner with leading industry chambers such as Confederation of Indian Industry and Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry to expand the scope of Maha Kumbh.

 

Compared to the convergence of 240 million tourists and pilgrims in the 2019 Kumbh Mela, the Maha Kumbh is expected to generate a footfall of 400 million people during the 45-day event from January 13 to February 26.

 

While Maha Kumbh is celebrated every 12 years, Kumbh occurs every 6 years. Magh Mela is an annual affair in the holy city of Prayagraj.

 

4,000-hectare tent city

 

To host such an enormous congregation of devotees, a gargantuan 4,000-hectare tent city is being set up in Prayagraj.

 

It will be illuminated with 67,000 streetlights, and comprise 2,000 tents and 25,000 public accommodations for different categories of tourists.

 

About 23,000 CCTV cameras and AI-based surveillance will complement the security paraphernalia of the tent city at the banks of Sangam, the confluence of Ganga, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati in Prayagraj.

 

The state budget for Kumbh has jumped 78 per cent from Rs 4,200 crore in Kumbh Mela 2019 to Rs 7,500 crore for Maha Kumbh 2025. More than 380 developmental, infra and tourism projects have been launched so far.

 

Prayagraj is considered as one of the holiest cities, one which is considered to accord salvation if a devout Hindu takes a dip at Sangam.

 

An array of rituals during Kumbh, which is a sacred pilgrimage for Hindus, embodies aspects of astronomy, astrology, spirituality and socio-cultural customs to purify one’s body and soul.

 

Kumbh pilgrimage is undertaken by people from all walks of life, including ascetics, hermits, seers and sages, to ordinary men and women seeking divine tranquility and energy.

 

During Kumbh Mela, ascetics affiliated to akharas (cult/sect of Hindu ascetics) called peshwai arrive for the ritualistic shahi snaan (royal bathing) riding on elephant backs, horses and chariots.

 

Meanwhile, Kumbh Mela is anchored by the Prayagraj Mela Authority, which is staffed with a full-fledged brass of senior administrative and police officials.

 

Meanwhile, the main carriageway of under-construction 594-km Ganga Expressway is likely to be operational before Maha Kumbh starts. The state will deploy more than 7,000 new buses to ferry tourists and pilgrims arriving for the event.

 

Investment in tourism

 

UP has witnessed a surge in spiritual and religious tourism after the completion of the Kashi Vishwanath Dham redevelopment project in Varanasi apart from the consecration of Lord Ram temple in Ayodhya.

 

UP tourism sector's gross value added (GVA) was pegged at Rs 14,000 crore in 2022-23, and now the state is targeting to achieve a GVA of Rs 70,000 crore by 2028.

 

Varanasi (Kashi), Mathura, Agra, Ayodhya, Prayagraj and Vrindavan are among the leading tourist hotspots in the state. As such, the Yogi government is betting on tourism to give a major fillip for spurring socioeconomic activities and casting a domino effect on other sectors such as transport, hospitality, MSME etc.

 

In 2023, about 480 million domestic and foreign tourists visited UP, which was an increase of 50 per cent over 2022. The annual tourist footfall in UP is estimated to touch 850 million by 2028.

 

The state is ramping up infrastructure of hotels and resorts, and also redeveloping places of tourist interests like forts, forest reserves, temples, monasteries, river banks and palaces.

 

UP is bullish on the potential of ecotourism, rural tourism, medical tourism, fort tourism and agri tourism. The state government has garnered tourism investment proposals to the tune of Rs 1.5 trillion from more than 1,160 investors under the UP Tourism Policy 2022.