Lucknow, Feb 27 (IANS): An estimated 2.6 lakh jobs will be created across Uttar Pradesh's tourism sector through investments pledged in the Global Investor Summit (GIS) held recently.

The state government has received 397 proposals in the tourism sector which has been included in the top 20 sectors.

The worth of these proposals is pegged at Rs 98,193 crore and once in place, they would provide employment to 2.6 lakh persons.

Likewise, 437 MoUs to the tune of Rs 20,722 crore have been signed in the hospitality sector.

They are likely to create employment for another 1.6 lakh persons.

A good part of this investment has come from Japan.

Investors from Japan signed MoUs worth Rs 7,200 crore during the GIS.

The list includes Japanese Hotel Management International Company Limited (HMI Group), which will open hotels in 30 cities, including Agra, Ayodhya and Varanasi.

An official spokesperson said that the trend can be attributed to sustained efforts of Yogi Adityanath government.

"The state recorded the arrival of 24.87 crore tourists, including 4.10 lakh foreigners, to destinations in 2022 and as a result of this, tourism and hospitality sectors garnered immense attention from the investors in the GIS," the spokesperson said.

"Initiatives to beautify Vishwanath Dham Corridor has proved to be a huge magnet for tourism. Ongoing construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya and projects in Vindhya Dham, Agra, Mathura, Chitrakoot and Jhansi will give a further boost to the sector," he said.