Four villages from Azamgarh div among 97 in state picked for rural tourism

Lucknow: As part of its focus on promoting rural tourism, Uttar Pradesh has included the Azamgarh division in the list of places where tourist facilities such as homestays will be developed.
"The initiative aims to highlight the cultural and environmental richness of the state's rural areas," an official spokesperson said on Thursday.
With Azamgarh in the list, from where one each village in Azamgarh, Mau and Ballia, will get the facilities, the total number of villages being developed for rural tourism has now increased to 97 in the state.
The project has already been implemented in the Devipatan, Chitrakoot, Ayodhya, Lucknow, and Varanasi divisions, and it is expected that the identified villages from other divisions of the state will soon be integrated into the initiative.
Informing that the state govt was working to promote tourism in an organised way, the spokesperson said that the aim was to create employment opportunities for local youth.
Each of the four villages will have a dedicated team consisting of a village coordinator, a district coordinator, a tourism expert, a rural development expert, and a team lead. In each village, 10 local guides, 5 storytellers, and 5 families will be assigned the responsibility of providing local culinary experiences.
"Additionally, 20 artists and local residents will be engaged to offer various traditional activities, including Zardozi, Moonj crafts, woodwork, pottery, boating, fishing, fruit and vegetable picking, and cycling," the spokesperson said.
Under the scheme, up to 10 homestays can be established in each village, with the registration, development, and regulation processes carried out in accordance with local and state govt policies. The entire project will be implemented under the guidance of the Uttar Pradesh tourism department.
All homestays will be integrated with the Nidhi Plus portal.
Additionally, opportunities for developing four isolated agro-tourism properties will be explored. To promote tourism in the villages, various types of events will be organised every three months. These villages will also be promoted by creating accounts on social media platforms. Homestays with a capacity of up to 15 rooms will be developed in the villages.
The entire development process will span 24 months, consisting of three phases of six months each, followed by a fourth phase of four months and a fifth phase of two months. It may be noted that UP ranks as the number one tourist destination in the country for domestic tourists. Beyond spiritual tourism, the state holds immense potential for natural, wildlife, and folk traditional arts-based tourism.
There is also significant interest in experiencing the culture and nature of Uttar Pradesh among both domestic and foreign tourists. Recognising this, the Yogi govt has taken steps to unlock the vast potential for rural tourism across the state.