LUCKNOW, July 13 -- Uttar Pradesh has already cemented its position as the top destination for domestic tourists in recent years. The trend is expected to accelerate with increasing government investment in infrastructure, connectivity, and heritage preservation across religious and historical sites, a government spokesperson said on Saturday. According to the ministry of tourism, events like Mahakumbh demonstrated the massive potential of religious and cultural tourism, particularly in north India. Among the biggest beneficiaries is UP, home to revered spiritual centres linked to Lord Ram, Lord Krishna, Lord Shiva, Gautam Buddha, and Guru Gorakhnath, according to a government press release. Reports by Chambers of Commerce in Punjab, Haryana, and Delhi highlight that over 60% of all travel in India is to religious places. The global religious tourism market is expected to cross $2 billion by 2032. UP has the highest number of religious sites, India-especially UP-is likely to benefit the most from this growing sector. UP is already seeing the positive impact of growing religious tourism. Over 66 crore people from across India and the world visited the Mahakumbh in Prayagraj. In Varanasi, footfall at the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor has seen a massive rise-from just 50 lakh annual visitors before the corridor was built to 6 crore now, the press release read. Ayodhya has witnessed a phenomenal surge in tourism and pilgrim footfall. While only 2.83 lakh people visited the city in 2016, the number skyrocketed to 13.44 crore by September 2024. A similar tourism boom is being seen at other key religious destinations across UP, including Vindhyavasini Dham in Mirzapur, the sacred land of Chitrakoot and the Krishna-Radha circuits of Mathura, Vrindavan, Barsana, Nandgram, Gokul, and Govardhan, the spokesperson said....