'The
inauguration of Ram Mandir alone is expected to add nearly 25,000 jobs across
multiple roles, such as
chef, front desk manager, housekeeping, and tour guide,' Alug said Religious tourism is expected to create up to 2
lakh job opportunities in the next 4-5 years, global technology and digital
talent solutions provider NLB Services CEO Sachin Alug said.
Religious tourism has been gaining momentum in
India and is expected to grow annually at over 16 per cent between 2023 and
2030, Alug said. ccording to him, the segment accounts for 60
per cent of domestic tourism.
"In the next 4-5 years,
religious tourism is anticipated to create up to two lakh job opportunities.
With a projected revenue of USD 60 billion by 2028, religious tourism will open
employment avenues for both temporary and permanent workers," Alug told
PTI.
According to industry reports, the number of
overnight journeys for pilgrimages went up post-Covid and there was a 14 per
cent rise in donations in 2021-2022, he said.
The recent inauguration of Ram Mandir
in Ayodhya could further boost religious tourism, he said.
"The inauguration of Ram Mandir
alone is expected to add nearly 25,000 jobs across multiple roles, such as
chef, front desk manager, housekeeping, and tour guide," Alug said.
"Religious tourism is expected
to bolster opportunities for entrepreneurship in food services, consumer goods,
hospitality, transportation, religious materials, handicraft, local textile,
logistics, warehousing, and packaging, among others.
"We anticipate a rise of 6-8 per
cent in new enterprises catering specifically to religious tourists across the
country," he added.
According to the Ministry of Tourism data, 1,439
million people embarked on religious tourism in 2022 while such destinations
earned Rs 1.34 lakh crore.
Several small towns and non-metro
cities in states such as Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Himachal Pradesh,
Uttarakhand, Odisha are witnessing a large influx of tourists, Alug added.