The Yogi Adityanath government is preparing to open five-star hotels with top-notch facilities for tourists in nine palaces and forts of the state.

The move aims to enhance the tourism sector and provide employment opportunities for the youth, while also promoting rural tourism and culture and boosting the economy.

It is noteworthy that the Yogi government is actively engaged in establishing Uttar Pradesh as a popular international destination for heritage tourism. Under the guidance of the chief minister, a significant initiative has been undertaken to restore heritage properties to their pristine glory through private sector investments.

This approach will not only restore the heritage assets but also create direct and indirect employment opportunities for the youth in the field of tourism. Additionally, it will contribute to the economic transformation of rural tourism, culture and local areas.

The Uttar Pradesh Tourism department is gearing up convert heritage properties, including Chhatar Manzil in Lucknow, Chunar Fort in Mirzapur, Barua Sagar Fort in Jhansi, Kothi Gulistan-e-Iram, Kothi Darshan Vilas, and Kothi Roshan in Lucknow, Barsana Water Palace in Mathura, Shukla Talab in Kanpur and Tikait Rai Baradari in Bithoor into heritage hotels. The government has created three categories for the purpose with a proposed minimum investment amount of Rs 180 crore.

Under the guidance of the chief minister, wellness centres, heritage hotels, resorts, museums, heritage restaurants, boutique restaurants, banquet halls, wedding tourism, adventure tourism, homestays, thematic parks and other tourism and hospitality units will be constructed in heritage properties by the Tourism department.

The proposed plan of the government is being actively considered by the tourism industry. Leading hotel groups interested in investing in the adaptive reuse of ancient heritage buildings include Leela Hotels, Neemrana Hotels, Indian Hotels Company (Taj Hotels), Mahindra Hotels and Resorts, Oberoi Hotels, The MRS Group and Resort, Lalit Hotels, Hyatt Regency, Sarovar Hotels and Resorts, Accor Group, THF Hotels, Langer Hotels, Royal Orchid Hotels, Ramada Hotel, Clark Hotels, and Bridgman Groups of Hotels. All of them have shown interest in the expression of interest (EOI).

Notably, a few months ago, around 41 heritage entrepreneurs met with officials of the Tourism department to express their interest in the heritage buildings of the state. Furthermore, the Tourism department has also studied heritage buildings in five states – Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Odisha and Rajasthan.

According to Principal Secretary and Director General of Tourism Mukesh Meshram, the selection of the successful bidder for the project will be based on the quality and cost-based selection method.

According to officials, criteria and responsibilities for the conservation of heritage buildings have been defined.

The established criteria and responsibilities includes maintaining the layout of archaeological buildings as they were originally, refraining from making any changes in their original form, adapting the use of the building in accordance with its mythological and historical significance, establishing informative signage by developers about the history of the heritage building, showcasing local culture, cuisine, arts, clothing and cultural practices, as well as developing neighboring villages under CSR (corporate social responsibility) selected by the developer, along with providing employment to 25 per cent of the local citizens.