Uttar Pradesh State Tourism Corporation has turned the tide and is slowly coming out of the red, thanks to the ongoing Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj, as it is all set to earn a profit of more than Rs 16 crore.

“The profit is more than 100 per cent,” Additional Chief Secretary and head of Tourism department, Avanish Awasthi, said here on Wednesday.

He said the Tourism Corporation was incurring loss when this government took over in March 2017 but it had turned a tide and now it was making money.

“In 2017-18, the corporation earned a profit of Rs 8 crore whereas it was in loss in the previous years. But in the current fiscal, the profit will cross Rs 16 crore, wiping out the accumulated losses,” Awasthi told reporters here.

He said that more initiative had been taken to improve tourist facilities to make UP the most favourite tourist destination of the country.

“After the grand success of the Kumbh at Prayagraj, UP has now become the most desired tourist destination and we have also promoted the tag line of ‘UP nahi dekha, to Bharat nahi dekha’,” he said.

When asked about the defunct units of the Tourism Corporation, including its hotels and other facilities, Awasthi made it clear that efforts were on to hand over the loss-making units to private entrepreneurs on lease.

Out of around 100 units of the Tourism Corporation, only 15 are profit making and the rest can be leased out.

Meanwhile, the Tourism department has shown interest in going for a joint partnership with country’s  largest chain of hotels, OYO, to provide quality and affordable rooms to the tourist visiting the state.

Awasthi gave the partnership offer to OYO officials here when the first OYO Townhouse units were launched in the state capital.

“UP certainly requires more rooms for the tourists and the state is set to be on the top of the most desired tourist destination of the country. We have witnessed shortage of rooms during the Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas in Varanasi in January and later even after making record arrangements through tent house and other facilities there is need for more rooms in the Prayagraj Kumbh,” Awasthi said.

“As UP requires large number of rooms to promote tourism, hence it will be better for the state to go for a partnership with OYO,” he said.

Senior officials of the Tourism department also have started talks with OYO and very soon a memorandum of understanding could be signed.