Uttar Pradesh’s Cultural Heritage Opens New Avenues For Tourism

Uttar Pradesh’s cultural depth is unmatched across India. From the earthen lamps illuminating the banks of Saryu in Ayodhya and the shining Dev Deepawali on the ghats of Kashi to colours covering the streets of Brij Bhumi, the state’s festivities reflect traditions as passed down through generations in their truest form.

The state is making efforts to improve the journeys to these unique experiences with better facilities, opening new tourist spots, and creating local growth opportunities.

After Yogi Adityanath became the Chief Minister of UP in 2017, the vision of ‘Utsav Pradesh’ (a state of celebration) was taken forward.

It is in sync with the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s aim to protect our cultural and spiritual heritage. Also, this idea of Utsav Pradesh seeks to create new opportunities for tourism, enterprise, and growth.

From Ayodhya, Kashi/Varanasi, and Prayagraj to Mathura-Vrindavan, Chitrakoot, Naimisharanya, Sarnath, Shravasti, and Kushinagar, this effort is now visible across the state.

Festivals Grabbing Attention

The growing scale of Ayodhya’s Deepotsav is a prime example of the growing attraction for Uttar Pradesh’s festivities. From just 1.71 lakh lamps in 2017, Ayodhya set a new world record at Ram Ki Paidi with 26.17 lakh (2,617,215) lamps in 2025. Dev Deepawali 2025 in Kashi almost matched it with 25 lakh lamps.

Rangotsav, the festival of colours in the state’s Braj region during Holi, has become a major cultural event. Traditional celebrations like Barsana's Lathmar Holi and Vrindavan's Phoolon ki Holi in 2026 were witnessed by more than 4.4 million visitors. Developmental work is ongoing to upgrade parikrama routes, ghats, parking areas, and entry gates. The Barsana-Govardhan-Radhakund corridor is also part of this project, which will facilitate devotees. The proposed Shri Bankey Bihari Corridor has been designed with an aim to improve access and facilities for darshan in Vrindavan.

Tourism in Uttar Pradesh is growing beyond the state’s famous pilgrimage sites. The natural forests at Dudhwa, Katarniaghat, and Ranipur, along with the natural spots of Rajdari-Devdari, add a new dimension to the experience of travellers coming to the state.

Uttar Pradesh witnessed the arrival of over 1.56 billion tourists in 2025, including more than 4.5 million foreign tourist visits. This number also includes 663 million visits for the Maha Kumbh Mela 2025 in Prayagraj. The state grabbed the top position in domestic tourist arrivals and fourth in foreign tourist arrivals in the Ministry of Tourism's 2025 rankings based on 2024 data.

Transforming Kashi

In the last 9 years, Kashi’s transformation has centred around the development of the Kashi Vishwanath Dham. The area of this complex has grown from about 3,000 square feet to around 500,000 square feet. Over 40 ancient temples that resurfaced during this expansion process were also given a place.

Several ghats on the banks of Ganga, including the Namo Ghat, have been renovated and adorned. To improve transportation within the city, work is rapidly progressing on India’s first urban ropeway project, with an estimated cost of Rs 807 crore, connecting Cantt to Rathyatra. The trial runs for the Kashi Ropeway project began in 2025.

With an aim to expand tourism facilities in Uttar Pradesh, 2,075 tourism units have received registration certificates under the Uttar Pradesh Tourism Policy 2022. These involve proposed investments of about Rs 43,342.87 crore to upgrade the state’s tourist facilities. Development of tourist spots, eco-tourism, and rural and youth tourism is taking place under the Swadesh Darshan 2.0 initiative. These steps are being taken to bring lesser-known places in UP into focus.

The Uttar Pradesh Bed & Breakfast and Homestay Policy 2025 was designed to support this vision. Also, under the state sector in 2025-26, tourism facilities worth Rs 19.84 crore were approved, which were related to 575 projects.

Tourism in Uttar Pradesh is being developed under these 12 connected circuits:

1. Ramayana circuit

2. Krishna-Braj circuit

3. Buddhist circuit

4. Mahabharata circuit

5. Shaktipeeth circuit

6. Spiritual circuit

7. Sufi-Kabir circuit

8. Jain circuit

9. Bundelkhand circuit

10. Wildlife & Eco-Tourism circuit

11. Craft circuit

12. Freedom Struggle circuit

This policy increases the scope to introduce travellers with varying interests to Uttar Pradesh's unique diversity.

Heritage conservation is also getting major attention. The count of protected monuments in Uttar Pradesh has risen from 143 in 2017 to 278 in 2025. The state has set a target to reach 315 by 2027. The state had 11 museums before 2017; now the number stands at 22. The government is also making serious efforts to establish new cultural institutions and preserve traditional arts alongside this.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has famously said that Kashi's prosperity is linked to Uttar Pradesh and the state's prosperity is linked to the country's progress. Current tourism efforts in the state reflect his vision that, while preserving heritage, travel linked to it creates local development opportunities for everyone.