Lucknow: For years, tourism in Uttar Pradesh has meant one thing above all: pilgrims. Now the state government wants it to mean something else too — jobs, startups, and a slice of the state’s push toward a trillion-dollar economy.
Under a new scheme called the ‘Tourism Startup Unit’ initiative, the government is trying to give young entrepreneurs a reason to build businesses around tourism rather than just work in it. The idea fits into Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s broader ambition of making the sector “smart” and experience-driven, rather than something built purely on temple visits and heritage circuits.
What that looks like in practice is, frankly, a little unexpected. Officials are talking about Hobbit House-style themed cottages, Japanese-inspired capsule pods, caravan units kitted out with modern tech, and open-air “star beds” where guests sleep under the sky. There’s also a push toward what the department calls regenerative tourism — projects designed around environmental conservation rather than just scenery.
None of this comes cheap, so the state is trying to sweeten the deal for investors. Under the UP Tourism Policy 2022, smaller investments — between ₹10 lakh and ₹10 crore — get a 25% subsidy, capped at ₹2 crore. The percentage steps down as the investment size grows: 20% up to ₹50 crore, 15% up to ₹200 crore, and 10% for anything larger, with the subsidy cap rising to ₹40 crore at the top end. Investors also get a full waiver on stamp duty and on land-conversion charges, and women entrepreneurs along with SC/ST investors get an extra 5% on top of whatever they’d otherwise qualify for.
The bigger picture, according to the department, is that tourism shouldn’t just be treated as infrastructure spending. Officials describe Uttar Pradesh as more than a destination for the faithful — as a state carrying India’s cultural and spiritual weight — and argue that developing tourism means developing local economies too: handicrafts, food, traditional arts, the whole ecosystem around a visitor’s stay, not just the visit itself.
The numbers underline why the state is leaning into this. Tourism currently makes up only about 1.4% of total employment in UP. The government wants that at 5% by 2047, and getting there is meant to happen through a mix of policy tweaks, investment incentives, and new schemes aimed squarely at young people looking for work.
On the ground, that’s already translating into a few smaller initiatives — Youth Tourism Clubs set up in every district to get young people involved early, “Smarak Mitras” appointed to walk visitors through the history of local monuments, and guide-training programmes meant to turn tour guiding into a real, sustainable job rather than seasonal work.
