Ayodhya: Hotels in Uttar Pradesh's Ayodhya and nearby localities in Faizabad district are nearly sold out as devotees are planning to visit the Ram Temple this new year. Notably, the new year celebration this year will be mind the first since the consecration of the Ram Temple which took place on January 22, 20204. Keeping in mind the massive influx of devotees, the Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust has extended 'darshan' timings to manage the crowd. "We are ready to welcome the devotees this new year. All our rooms have been booked in advance till January 15," Ankit Mishra, owner of a local hotel in Ayodhya, said.Ayodhya has experienced a surge in religious tourism since the consecration ceremony earlier this year. While the Hindu New Year in 'Chaitra' (March-April) holds traditional significance, the English New Year is now also witnessing a growing wave of devotional enthusiasm."A large number of devotees visit religious sites and offer prayers on January 1, seeking the blessings of Ram Lalla at the start of the year," Ramakant Tiwari, a local priest, said.To ensure effective crowd management and security, Ayodhya Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Rajkaran Nayyar said, "There will be robust security arrangements at the Ram Temple, Hanumangarhi, Lata Chowk, Guptar Ghat, Surajkund, and other popular sites." Additionally, the temple trust has implemented comprehensive measures to manage the increasing crowd, especially during the period from December 30 through the first two weeks of January.The consecration ceremony at the Ram Temple, attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and hundreds of devotees from diverse backgrounds, has spurred a surge in tourism activity in Ayodhya and across Uttar Pradesh.As per the state tourism department, Uttar Pradesh welcomed 32.18 crore tourists in 2022, a figure that climbed to 32.98 crore in just the first six months of 2024. The Uttar Pradesh government highlighted last week that this increase in tourist footfall is largely due to the significant contributions of Ayodhya and Kashi (Varanasi)."Following the inauguration of the grand Ram temple in January last year, Uttar Pradesh saw a significant rise in tourist influx within the first six months. In January alone, a record-breaking seven crore tourists visited, marking the highest number of visitors to any place in a single month," the government said.