Ayodhya will become world's biggest spiritual destination: Puneet Chhatwal of IHCL

Ayodhya, where Ram Temple was inaugurated in January this year, could become the world’s biggest spiritual destination with the rapid improvement in infrastructure, Puneet Chhatwal, MD and CEO of Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL), said. After the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple in Ayodhya witnessing an average footfall of 1 lakh to 1.5 lakh pilgrims daily after the consecration ceremony on January 22.

IHCL, which owns the premium Taj hotels and resorts, has signed three hotels across SeleQtions, Vivanta and Ginger brands in Ayodhya. Talking about the growing tourism in Ayodhya, Chhatwal said spiritual tourism is on the rise. 

"Look at the rich cultural heritage or the monuments or temples of the country. Spiritual tourism is so much on the rise. I recently went to Ayodhya and I just could not believe what I saw. If everything goes the way I understand it, honestly, this will be larger than the biggest spiritual destinations that you are aware of in the world," said Chhatwal at a gathering on Monday night.

He said that the tourism sector is growing as people have higher disposable income, their priorities have changed. "If you look at tourism holistically across the globe, 10 per cent of the contribution to global GDP comes from tourism. Ten per cent of all jobs come from tourism. More importantly, 20 per cent of all new jobs created are coming from the tourism sector," he said.

In January, Gaurav Dayal, the divisional commissioner of Ayodhya, revealed that approximately 50 esteemed hotel chains have pledged significant investment towards large-scale projects in Ayodhya. The construction has already started and is going on in full swing. Some of the prominent projects are by Taj, Marriott, Ginger, Oberoi, Trident, and Radisson, and they will soon be completed and operational, he had said. Completion and operation of these facilities will be imminent according to his statement.

In the 2023 edition of Global Investors’ Summit, 102 investment intents worth approximately Rs 18,000 crore were signed for tourism in Ayodhya.

At the time of the inauguration of the Ram temple, a report by Jefferies highlighted Ayodhya as a catalyst for boosting India's tourism industry, transforming the ancient city from a quiet town to a global religious and spiritual tourist hotspot, akin to Mecca and Vatican. The cornerstone of this transformation is the new Ram temple, constructed at a cost of $225 million. 

Ayodhya's tourism sector is undergoing key infrastructural upgrades, such as a $175 million airport serving 1 million passengers, with future expansions for 6 million passengers by 2025. The railway station currently caters to 60,000 passengers daily, while a 1,200-acre greenfield township is in the works.