OYO faces backlash after recent advertisement

Travel tech company OYO became a center of public scrutiny after issuing a print advertisement which triggered religious sentiments among some individuals. The controversy erupted after social media users objected to its tagline ‘Bhagwan har jagah hain, or OYO bhi,’ translating to God is everywhere, and so is OYO. '#BoycottOYO' is actively trending on social media platform 'X,' as more and more users are asking the platform to apologize for publishing such an advertisement.

The advertisement featured OYO’s serviced stays in major pilgrimage sites like Ajmer, Ayodhya, Varanasi, Prayagraj, Mahura, Amritsar, Shirdi and Ujjain.

Responding to the criticism over its latest newspaper ad, the company clarified that its intent was to promote religious tourism in India, not to offend any religious sentiments.

In a statement on Friday, it said, "Our intention behind the recent advertisement was to promote religious tourism in India, and not hurt any religious sentiments."

OYO further highlighted that it wanted to highlight its role in enhancing the sacred experiences more and more Indians embrace spiritual tourism and has “immense respect for the diverse faiths and beliefs of our country and celebrate India's rich spiritual traditions."

As part of its expansion plans, OYO has announced the addition of 500 hotels across 12 major pilgrimage destinations by the end of the year.
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