News: Temple-Town Tourism to Drive Senior Living: Abhinandan Lodha-28-06-2026

Rising cultural tourism around India’s temple towns could soon produce senior living communities near spiritual destinations and become a major growth opportunity, Abhinandan Lodha, founder and CMD of The House of Abhinandan Lodha, said on Sunday at a panel discussion during the Hindustan Times’ India Next Real Estate Summit 2026.

Lodha contrasted Vatican City’s roughly 10 million visitors a year with nearly 250 million for Ayodhya, where the Ram Temple has been built. Footfall on that scale brings economic growth, draws in the local economy and sets off a real estate boom, he said. Once land turns attractive, fewer owners want to sell, which he described as long-term value creation and not a temporary phenomenon.

He said a growing number of older people are investing in cultural locations, and senior living in such destinations "is bound to happen and grow". People want to be part of emerging India, he added. They are happy to buy in Dubai, but are also buying in places like Ayodhya where growth is bound to happen.

Anshuman Magazine, CEO, India, SEA, MEA, CBRE, said the ecosystem around cultural and religious destinations will evolve as more people spend time there. Healthcare, senior living and a peaceful lifestyle were limited earlier, but he foresees them becoming mainstream, with demand for healthcare and support services growing alongside tourism infrastructure.

Lodha recounted how actor Amitabh Bachchan approached him to buy land in Ayodhya. After a couple of missed calls, he received a message from Bachchan asking him to call back. Bachchan told him he was from Uttar Pradesh and wanted land in Ayodhya, and first asked the price. Lodha said that when Bachchan mentioned 15,000 sq ft, he indicated it might be around Rs 15 crore, and the actor sent Rs 15 crore the very next day.

Magazine said people no longer treat religious tourism as only a pilgrimage. Gen Z and millennials expect quality roads, good hotels, infrastructure and a seamless experience. He cited Kyoto, which gets around 50 million visitors a year, nearly 40 million of them domestic, as the kind of trend India can expect.

On the faith-based economy, the panel heard that faith is deeply woven into Indian life, with people crediting a higher force for achievements and turning to prayer in hard times, and that governments should recognise and support this. A panellist identified only as Kapoor said land has a sacred identity in Indian culture, with every piece having its own deity, making the experience personal and spiritual beyond tourism.