Hospitality sector, MSMEs make a beeline in Ayodhya after Jan 22

LUCKNOW: The inauguration of Ram Mandir and the metamorphosis of the sleepy, non-descript temple town into a thronging pilgrimage spot have opened doors not only for the tourism industry but also for

Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) which has logged Rs 1 lakh crore business till January end.

The Industry leaders believe it to be just the beginning. If 10 days of the Pran-Pratishtha of Ram Lalla in his final abode, have witnessed daily footfall of devotees in lakhs in Ayodhya making the prospects of tourism industry going to the moon, on the same tangent, the consecration has ushered the MSMEs, directly related to the temple, into a new era of economic prosperity reflecting an extraordinary upsurge in trade of goods related to puja and logging Rs 55,000 crore trade from January 1-January 26 and touching the trade figure of Rs 1 lakh crore by January end.

Ayodhya is set for a hectic industrial activity as hospitality sector thronging the temple town with a number of star hotels and resorts lined up for near future.

After the consecration, devotes from across the country are thronging Ayodhya in large numbers. As per the figures of the district administration, around two-three lakh devotees are taking darshan of Ram Lalla daily despite all the restrictions in force for crowd management in Ayodhya.

The number of devotees is likely to soar to 4-5 lakh daily with the let-up in weather conditions and sweeping cold wave. However, to cater to such a large number of visitors, the temple town is gearing up with a chains of hotels and resorts. Some projects already taking shape on the ground while others are in the pipeline.

According to the sources, the state tourism department has set a target of bringing around 145 hotels, resorts and guest houses on the ground in Ayodhya by the end of this year.