Foreign Visitors Experience Authentic Village Life; Minister Jaiveer Singh Highlights UP’s Rising Rural Tourism Appeal
Lucknow: Rural India’s vibrant culture and traditions are increasingly drawing foreign travellers, and Mainpuri’s Bhavant village has now become a shining example of this trend. As part of Uttar Pradesh’s Rural Tourism Project, a group of visitors from Spain—Feres Marin Sandra, Lourdes Giraldo Rodríguez and Cintia Belén Bonino—received an immersive glimpse into authentic village life.
During their visit, facilitated by village representative Vishram Singh, the guests interacted with local families and explored traditional arts, crafts, and agricultural practices that have been preserved across generations. The delegation experienced traditional bilona butter-making, observed clay pottery, learned about water chestnut farming, and visited the revered Jakhadar Mahadev Temple, known for its swayambhu Shivling and 200-year-old sacred tree.
Tourism and Culture Minister Jaiveer Singh shared details of the visit on Wednesday. He noted that the guests stayed at “Rohit Homestay,” developed under the Rural Tourism Project, where they enjoyed local cuisine, hospitality, and the serene natural environment of the village.
Bhavant village, part of the Sarus Circuit conservation landscape, features a 10-hectare wetland that attracts the state bird Sarus crane along with several migratory bird species. It is also a major centre for singhada (water chestnut) production, with its produce supplied as far as Delhi’s Azadpur Mandi.
To strengthen tourism infrastructure, 10 homestays have been registered in the village. Their owners have undergone a five-day training programme at the Manyavar Kanshiram Institute of Tourism Management in Lucknow to enhance visitor experience.
Highlighting the surge in tourist interest, Minister Jaiveer Singh said, “Travellers increasingly prefer destinations that offer a true rural experience. Mainpuri’s numbers speak for themselves—18,72,670 tourists visited in 2023, rising to 20,04,724 in 2024, and the first half of 2025 has already crossed 6,92,130 visitors. We are strengthening homestays, farmstays and local amenities so that villages across Uttar Pradesh can emerge as meaningful tourism centres.”
The minister added that over ₹27.35 crore is being spent on reviving key religious and cultural sites in Mainpuri, including the famous Hanuman Temple in Jakhaula village and the Kali Mata Temple in Padariya, along with several other spiritual destinations. These efforts, he said, will further enhance Mainpuri’s tourism potential.
With community participation, livelihood-focused initiatives, and continuous improvement of rural tourism facilities, Uttar Pradesh is rapidly emerging as a hub for rural and spiritual tourism. Strengthened by government schemes and local engagement, villages like Bhavant now offer visitors a unique opportunity to experience culture, nature, and tradition in their most authentic form.
Better amenities, rising employment through homestays, and conservation-focused policies are collectively transforming the state’s tourism landscape—making Uttar Pradesh a trusted, enriching, and culturally immersive destination for travellers from around the world.
