While Demand For Flight Tickets To Ayodhya Rises, Airfares Drop Ahead Of Ram Mandir Inauguration

We are nearing the much-awaited day of the grand opening of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh. On January 22, 2024, the opening and consecration ceremony will take place in the presence of esteemed guests and personalities. Devotees all around India are excited to travel to Ayodhya and witness the glory and grandeur of the temple. There is a major demand for hotels and flights but reports state a noticeable decrease in flight fares.

Travel Websites Are Seeing A Significant Surge In Searches For January

Taking to the X (formerly Twitter) platform, Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra (@ShriRamTeerth) shared some glimpses of the temple.

श्री राम जन्मभूमि मंदिर के भीतरी हिस्से में बनी सुंदर कलाकृतियां

Carvings inside Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir pic.twitter.com/bhM1m8TUrk

— Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra (@ShriRamTeerth) December 10, 2023

With the main day approaching soon, travel enthusiasts and devotees are planning their devotional trips to Ayodhya. Travel platforms such as Agoda are reportedly noticing an increase in users searching for hotels and stays in the month of January 2024. Not the entire first month of the year but only a duration from January 20 to 22 are recording a huge number of searches. Agoda shared how the searches for hotels increased for these 3 days in Ayodhya and Varanasi, according to a report by CNBC TV18.

In comparison to 2022, these two cities are registering a significant growth in searches. Agoda also revealed that Ayodhya reported thrice the number of searches and numbers skyrocketed to more than 35 times for travel plans to Varanasi. An important influence behind tourists’ travelling to Ayodhya at this specific time of the year is the Ram Mandir inauguration.

Travelling to spiritual destinations and temples has been quite a trend and a favourite among travel enthusiasts this year. Looks like this travel concept is about to expand a lot more next year. Agoda made a comparison between the first two weeks of December in 2022 and 2023 and the results are quite according to our expectations. In comparison to the last year, Ayodhya and Varanasi are seeing a rise in searches by almost 5 times.

Also read: Ayodhya Ram Mandir: When The Consecration Ceremony Is, Star-Studded Invitees, Idols & More

In a conversation with CNBC-TV18, Indiver Rastogi, the President and Group Head of Global Business Travel of Thomas Cook (India) and SOTC Travel, revealed the reasons influencing tourists to plan devotional holidays. Companies are recording a demand during the Ram Mandir inauguration by almost 100 per cent. Visitors from bustling cities to Tier-II and different places are growing interested in exploring such destinations.

Airfare Drops Before Ram Mandir Inauguration

In a time of such an uptick in demand for flight tickets to Ayodhya, air tickets are supposed to cost a bomb, just like any other peak festive or holiday season. But the scenario is quite the opposite this time. Flight ticket prices from Indian metro cities to the above-mentioned city are interestingly decreasing. Indiver Rastogi revealed how the flight tickets to return to Gorakhpur, Lucknow, Prayagraj, and Varanasi have recorded a decline of 4 per cent to 10 per cent. This data is in comparison to Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, and Mumbai during the last quarter of the year.

While the return flight from Mumbai to Gorakhpur costs around ₹15,900 from September to December, the same now costs ₹15,000 for January 2024.

Also read: Aerial View Pics Of Under Construction Ayodhya Ram Mandir Surface On Internet, Impresses Netizens

Are you planning to visit Ram Mandir in January?