Mother Teresa's beatification has triggered a mini economic boom in Calcutta, with a rise in tourists and spending in the city where the late Nobel laureate tended to the poor for 50 years, officials say.
Mother Teresa was beatified on October 19 by Pope John Paul II at the Vatican.
Tarapada Das, assistant director of the state-run tourism office, said there had been a roughly 10 percent rise in the number of foreign tourists arriving in the city, once the colonial capital of the British empire, since the beatification ceremony.
He said people wanted to see where Mother Teresa lived and worked.
"Foreign tourists are coming here to visit the city where Mother Teresa worked for the poor, the dying and the destitute," he said.
"They are visiting the headquarters of Missionaries of Charity in the city to pay homage to the tomb of Mother Teresa," he said, adding that they also visit other attractions such as the Victoria Memorial Hall and British colonial buildings.
Adding to the attractions is a nine-day programme of events which began Saturday, including a film festival on the life of Mother Teresa, an art exhibition, multi-religion prayers and a musical extravaganza.
Calcutta mayor Subrata Mukherjee said post-beatification tourists were crowding restaurants and shops in the central business districts of Calcutta, where the Roman Catholic nun worked.
"The flow of tourists has given a boost to the city's sagging tourism. Roadside hawkers are doing brisk business by selling photographs of the Mother and books on her life," he said.
"Thanks to Mother Teresa's beatification, the city of joy is having a bit of mini-boom in its business," the mayor said.
Hotel owner Mohammad Shabbir said foreign tourists and Missionaries of Charity volunteers were filling up hotels.
"Foreign tourists prefer the hotels as they have long terraces, lots of open space. This sudden flow is unexpected and now many hotels are being spruced up to offer comfort to tourists," he added.
"Pubs too are doing as well," said Partha Bhattacharya, manager of an open-air terrace-top bar near the central New Market shopping mall.
"Mother Teresa's beatification has been a blessing for us. The occasion has brought back smiles on the faces of the city's businessmen," Bhattacharya said.
Dipip Datta, a bookstore owner in New Market, said he had sold out of books on Mother Teresa and Calcutta since the Vatican ceremony.
A city police official said security had been beefed up in the city following the inflow of tourists.
Mother Teresa founded the Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta in 1950, caring for the destitute and disabled until her death in 1997. With a steady stream of volunteers and donations, the order now has 4,500 sisters working in 133 countries.
Despite the fastest beatification in Catholic history and winning the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979, Mother Teresa faced critics, largely leftists, who accused her of failing to address core reasons for Calcutta's poverty such as income inequality and limited reproductive-health options for poor women.