Uttar Pradesh

• 10 Feb 2025

Uttar Pradesh Emerges as a Tourism Hub

Why in News? 

Uttar Pradesh has emerged as a new hub of tourism by preserving its historical, religious and cultural heritage . 

Key Points  

• Tourism in Uttar Pradesh:  
  • Tourism development in Uttar Pradesh is boosting the state's economy and creating jobs for thousands of people. 
    • More than 65 crore tourists visited Uttar Pradesh in the year 2024, making it the tourism capital of India.  
  • Religious sites like the Shri Ram Temple in Ayodhya, Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi, and Mathura-Vrindavan have made Uttar Pradesh a world-class spiritual center. 
• Swadesh Darshan 2.0:  
  • Naimisharanya, Prayagraj and Mahoba are being developed  under the Swadesh Darshan 2.0 scheme of the Central Government . 
• Importance of Tourism:  
  • Tourism has become a key engine of economic growth in Uttar Pradesh.  
  • As one of the fastest-growing sectors, it plays a vital role in boosting trade, creating jobs, attracting investments, enhancing infrastructure, and promoting social inclusion. 

Swadesh Darshan Scheme 

• It was launched in 2014-15 for integrated development of theme-based tourist circuits — Buddhist Circuit, Coastal Circuit, Desert Circuit, Eco Circuit, Heritage Circuit, Northeast Circuit, Himalayan Circuit, Sufi Circuit, Krishna Circuit, Ramayana Circuit, Rural Circuit, Spiritual Circuit, Tirthankar Circuit, Wildlife Circuit and Tribal Circuit. 
• It is 100% centrally funded and efforts are made to achieve convergence with other schemes of Central and State Governments and also to leverage the voluntary funding available for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives of Central Public Sector Undertakings and Corporate Sector. 
• Swadesh Darshan 2.0:  
  • It is not an incremental change but a generational shift to evolve the Swadesh Darshan Scheme as a holistic mission to develop sustainable and responsible tourism destinations. 
  • It will help develop sustainable and responsible destinations with a tourist and destination centric approach.