New Delhi, February 21: Facing netizens' outrage over its newspaper advertisement, travel tech unicorn OYO on Friday clarified that the ad was meant to promote religious tourism in India and not hurt any religious sentiments. Several users took to social media platform X to raise objections to the phrase 'God is Everywhere. And so is OYO' in the advertisement about company-serviced stays in spiritual destinations including Ajmer, Ayodhya, Varanasi, Prayagraj, Mathura, Amritsar, Shirdi, Ujjain, among others. ‘Bhagwan Har Jagah Hai Aur OYO Bhi’: OYO Rooms Ad Equating Itself With God Goes Viral, Draws Mixed Reactions.

"Our intention behind the recent advertisement was to promote religious tourism in India, and not hurt any religious sentiments," OYO stated. "We have immense respect for the diverse faiths and beliefs of our country and celebrate India's rich spiritual traditions," it added. OYO-owned European Holiday Home Brand DanCenter Launched in India.

The company further explained that as more Indians embrace spiritual tourism, it is dedicated to enhancing this sacred experience - "and that is what we wanted to highlight through the advertisement". OYO has announced plans to add 500 hotels across 12 major pilgrimage destinations by the end of this year.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)