Varanasi/Lucknow: Nearly 50 women entrepreneurs, investors and digital creators will take on the role of destination storytellers as Uttar Pradesh Tourism brings its ‘Visit My State’ campaign from Lucknow to Varanasi and Sarnath from Oct 7 to 9.Organised by Uttar Pradesh Tourism in coordination with FICCI FLO, the three-day familiarisation journey has been designed to transform first-hand experiences of cuisine, craft, faith and heritage into fresh travel narratives, market connections and collaborative opportunities.The initiative will bring together participants from fashion, sustainable design, hospitality, travel, education, wellness and digital communication.Through this engagement, the department aims to present Uttar Pradesh’s destinations to newer audiences while linking tourism visibility with local livelihoods.Beginning and concluding in Lucknow, the journey will take participants through Kashi’s riverfront, temples, food traditions and handloom clusters before moving to Sarnath. The itinerary reflects Uttar Pradesh Tourism’s focus on showcasing destinations through the people, traditions and living practices that define them, while encouraging visitors to explore beyond individual monuments and spend more time in the state.Lucknow’s recognition as a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy has given Uttar Pradesh a stronger global platform for its culinary traditions. In Varanasi, participants will experience how food, spirituality, weaving and the Ganga together shape the city’s living heritage. The programme will include visits to Kashi Vishwanath Temple, Ganga Aarti, a sunrise cruise, Ramnagar Fort, local cuisine experiences and interactions with the Banarasi handloom community.The revival of the Banarasi saree will be a key focus of the programme.Participants will meet weavers, handloom entrepreneurs and merchants to understand the skill, labour and livelihood chain behind the finished saree, from design, dyeing and weaving to zari work, finishing and retail.The engagement will also explore how traditional sarees can find a larger place in contemporary daily, corporate and formal wear. Participants from fashion, design, sustainability and retail will discuss styling ideas, lookbooks, sourcing connections and digital narratives under the ‘Saree Back in Fashion’ initiative.The interaction is expected to connect artisan communities directly with women who influence consumer choices, design conversations and business networks. This can help strengthen the market for Banarasi weaving while enabling travellers to better understand the people, processes and cultural knowledge behind one of Uttar Pradesh’s most celebrated crafts.The journey will culminate at Sarnath, which was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in July 2026. Visits to Dhamek Stupa, Chaukhandi Stupa, Mulagandha Kuti Vihara and the Archaeological Museum will introduce participants to the site’s place in Buddhist history and its importance within Uttar Pradesh’s wider Buddhist Circuit.Tourism and Culture Minister Jaiveer Singh said, “Under Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s leadership, Uttar Pradesh Tourism is developing experiences that connect travellers with the people and traditions behind every destination. Through Visit My State, we want the visibility created by tourism to translate into longer stays, stronger markets and greater opportunities for weavers, artisans, guides, boatmen, food businesses and young tourism professionals.”Additional Chief Secretary, Tourism, Culture and Religious Affairs, Amrit Abhijat, said, “First-hand engagement creates a more informed and credible way of presenting a destination. By bringing gastronomy, craft, spiritual heritage and Buddhist tourism into one journey, we can encourage deeper travel while widening the participation of local communities in the tourism economy.”The familiarisation trip is intended to create outcomes beyond the three-day visit, with participants expected to carry Uttar Pradesh’s tourism stories into their professional networks, consumer communities and digital platforms while building new connections with the state’s artisans and tourism stakeholders.
