“We Have Set Out To Make Uttar Pradesh A Global Centre For Culture, Wellness And Sustainable Travel”

MUKESH KUMAR MESHRAM, Principal Secretary, Tourism & Culture, Government of Uttar Pradesh, and Director General, UP Tourism, outlines plans to transform Uttar Pradesh into India's rural tourism capital and a world-class destination, blending religious circuits, wellness retreats and community-led experiences

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What is your vision for transforming UP into a top-tier tourism destination in India and globally?

Uttar Pradesh is the crucible of India’s spirituality, history and craft. Our overarching vision is to evolve the state from a pilgrimage stopover into a world-class, diversified tourism ecosystem. We have set out to make Uttar Pradesh the country’s rural tourism capital and a global centre for culture, wellness and sustainable travel. This means combining major religious circuits such as the Ramayan, Krishna, Buddhist and Sufi trails with nature-based experiences, wellness retreats and even perfume tourism inspired by Kannauj. Our participation at events like the IFTM Top Resa 2025 in Paris sends a clear message that UP is open for global partnerships. We aim to welcome 100 crore visitors annually by 2028 while ensuring that each trip is memorable, inclusive and ecologically responsible. By 2047, we want the world to witness Uttar Pradesh as the heart of Viksit Bharat, where heritage preservation, community prosperity and economic growth go hand-in-hand.

How is UP Tourism working to develop and promote lesser-known destinations?

Beyond headline cities, UP is home to hundreds of villages, wetlands, forests and craft clusters that have never been on the tourist map. We are developing over 234 villages as tourism hubs with homestays, farm stays and craft experiences. In the first phase, 93 villages have been taken up; we have trained more than 285 rural youths as hosts, partnered with over 18 NGOs and introduced a 25 per cent subsidy to encourage local investment.