Lucknow, June 14 : The tourism and hospitality sector in Uttar Pradesh is witnessing a rapid recovery in the post-Covid scenario leading to a surge in demand for hotel rooms and allied hospitality services. This sector was among the worst-hit by pandemic as extended lockdown and restrictions of large gatherings had caused a severe blow to hotel and tourism activities. A large number of hotels in UP, as elsewhere in India, were forced to remain closed for months. However, the present year has seen a revival of business and commercial activities in UP, leading to a large volume of travel. According to the government spokesman, travel for pilgrimage and tourism has also picked up, leading to good bookings in hotels and other hospitality-related establishments such as travel agencies, transport etc. An indication of the confidence of the investors in the hospitality sector in Uttar Pradesh is visible in the submission of proposals in the recently-concluded ground breaking ceremony (GBC-3) for industrial investments in UP. In the tourism and hospitality sector, 23 projects worth a cumulative investment of Rs 680 crores have been launched in the state. The new proposals clearly indicate a robust upturn in the sector as well as the potential in this sector. The new investments in this sector are from all over the state, including in Gorakhpur, Bareilly, Ayodhya, Lucknow, Muzaffarnagar, Agra, Mathura, Meerut, Prayagraj and Varanasi. Rising interest is seen in setting up small hotels and hospitality related establishments in and around tourism attractions, medical and wellness tourism spots, hospitality-related establishments in different districts. The proposals in Gorakhpur are Aishpra Solutions Private Limited (Rs 82.6 crores), Continental Developers Private Limited (Rs 36.2 crore) and Saket Kunj Landmark Private Limited (Rs 35 crores). In Ayodhya, Hotel Janak Palace (Rs 14.5 crores) and Usharani Developers Private Limited (Rs 16 crore) are the two hospitality sector projects. The projects in Bareilly include Juhi Sons Ramada Encore by Wyndham (Rs 22 crore), Chhabra Associates (Rs 20 crore) and RMS Hotels and Resorts Private Limited (Rs 55 crore). Projects in Lucknow are Hotel Pradeep (Rs 25 crore), Sony Hotel (Rs 10.2 crore) and St Mary Intercontinental Child and Women Welfare Organization (Rs 10 crore.) In Agra, the project is from Sincere Developers Private Limited, worth Rs 65.8 crore. Hotel Ananda Heritage in Mathura (Rs 17 crore), Vaidic Naturopathy and Wellness Village in Meerut (Rs 150 crore), Hotel Ivyra (Rs 20 crore) and Namaste Airport Services Private Limited (Rs 60 crore) in Muzaffarnagar, Hotel Rama Continental in Prayagraj (Rs 10 crore) and Naveen Saree Kendra Private Limited (Rs 22.5 crore) in Varanasi are the other projects in this sector. Hospitality related logistics projects are also being launched in many places. These include Divine Hospitality Associates in Bijnore (Rs 19.5 crore) and Shamli (Rs 13.5 crore). /IANS