OYO to add 50 new properties in Ayodhya in 2023

Hospitality technology firm OYO on Thursday said it will add 50 new properties in Ayodhya in 2023 under a collaboration with Ayodhya Development Authority and Uttar Pradesh State Tourism Development Corporation.

Out of the 50 new properties to be added in Ayodhya, about 25 will be homestays run by homeowners and 25 will be small and medium hotels with 10 to 20 rooms each, the company said in a statement.

OYO currently has around five properties in Ayodhya.

The company said it is collaborating with Ayodhya Development Authority and Uttar Pradesh State Tourism Development Corporation for its expansion plans in Ayodhya.

OYO Chief Merchant Officer Anuj Tejpal said the company made a "robust expansion plan" for Ayodhya after multiple rounds of meetings with the government to understand their key requirements and concerns.

"We have started onboarding homestays already. Ayodhya is the top spiritual city in our plans of expanding OYO footprints across major religious corridors in India," Tejpal added.

The company said tourist arrivals in Ayodhya have been on the rise consistently over the last few years.

In 2017 approximately 1.5 crore tourists visited Ayodhya, and 2 crore in 2019. The number dipped during the pandemic years but rebounded again in 2022 when more than 2.20 crore tourists visited the spiritual city, it added.