Kashi redefines India’s travel map: From pilgrim city to a ‘global tourism magnet’

City now pulsates with a cosmopolitan energy that blends faith, culture and modern comfort

- BISWAJEET BANERJEE

Varanasi, the world’s oldest living city, is scripting a new chapter in India’s tourism story. No longer just a stop for pilgrims, Kashi has become a year-round global travel destination, drawing record crowds from across India and abroad.

Once synonymous only with spiritual devotion and the Ganga aarti, the city now pulsates with a cosmopolitan energy that blends faith, culture, and modern comfort. Data from the Uttar Pradesh Tourism Department reveal that Varanasi welcomed over 11 crore visitors in 2024, a nearly 19 percent jump from the previous year. What truly stands out is the explosion in foreign arrivals—rising from just 2,566 in 2021 to more than 3 lakh in 2024, a staggering 120-fold increase.