Ram Mandir opening: Last-minute bookings to Ayodhya likely to cost you up to ₹1,00,000

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Ram Temple consecration ceremony, the flight rates and hotel accommodation charges have skyrocketed. Data from travel portals like SOTC, Thomas Cook, EaseMyTrip and others show that people are will to pay even lakhs to attend the ceremony and seek the blessings of Ram Lalla. The "Pran Pratishtha" ceremony will be held on January 22.

While the preparations for the event are in the full swing, special invitations have been reportedly sent to 6,000-7,000 people, including several politicians and celebrities. Sharing data with Mint, Indiver Rastogi, President & Group Head, Global Business Travel, Thomas Cook (India) and SOTC Travel said that with the announcement on the inauguration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, demand trends indicate increased interest for the destination from customers across segments with an uptick of 400% vs. pre pandemic.

“Given the significant demand, airfares to Ayodhya from hubs like Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Chennai cost approx. between Rs. 20,000 to over Rs.

30,000." Direct return fares to Ayodhya in the week of January 22nd cost 30-70% higher compared to average return fares to the closest hubs - Lucknow, Prayagraj, Varanasi and Gorakhpur, Rastogi adds. The consecration ceremony in Ayodhya is expecting an initial attendance of nearly 7,000 guests, projecting a daily footfall of three to five lakh visitors post-inauguration, presenting significant economic opportunities, EaseMyTrip told Mint earlier. “Leading up to the inauguration, Ayodhya's hotels are fully booked, enabling them to leverage increased pricing.