Intent was to promote religious tourism not hurt sentiments through the print ad: OYO

New Delhi: 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.

The backlash prompted the trending hashtag #BoycottOYO on social media platforms, with calls for the company to apologise and retract the advertisement.

"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.

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".

With campaigns facing criticism for misrepresentation or commercialisation of religious sentiments, most brands are now taking a cautious approach, focusing on experiential marketing rather than creative ads for the Mahakumbh 2025.