UP to shift tourism focus from record footfall to higher economic value

Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh’s tourism push is shifting from drawing crowds to extracting stronger economic gains from record visitor numbers, with the state setting a new agenda around investment execution, better infrastructure and higher-quality visitor services.At a high-level review meeting on Wednesday, tourism and culture minister Jaiveer Singh said the department’s next phase will prioritise faster conversion of investment proposals into operational projects, expansion of hotel and accommodation capacity, and deeper private sector participation.Chairing the review, Singh assessed progress under Uttar Pradesh’s One Trillion-Dollar Economy roadmap and examined tourism performance, status of policy-approved projects, hotel map approvals and the department’s quarterly action plan.

Officials discussed measures to speed up project implementation timelines and remove bottlenecks that delay on-ground delivery.“Uttar Pradesh has witnessed unprecedented growth in tourist arrivals over the last few years. Our focus is now on ensuring that this momentum creates greater economic opportunities through quality infrastructure, improved visitor experiences, enhanced accommodation capacity and greater private sector participation,” Singh said.

A key agenda item was a framework of tourism performance indicators being prepared to evaluate destinations on infrastructure, connectivity, governance, visitor experience and service delivery. Officials said the indicators will enable data-driven planning, benchmarking across locations and prioritisation of future interventions.Adviser to the chief minister Avanish Kumar Awasthi said the state has emerged among India’s leading destinations by footfall but must now improve the quality of tourism and maximise its contribution to the economy through stronger hospitality services and sustainable employment generation.Additional chief secretary Amrit Abhijat stressed the need for continuous monitoring of tourism indicators, infrastructure development and investment progress to identify implementation gaps early and strengthen the overall tourism ecosystem.The meeting also discussed holding the Uttar Pradesh Travel Mart later this year to bring together investors, tour operators and other stakeholders, aiming to attract fresh investment, support new tourism products and promote higher-value travel segments across the state.