Undeveloped Buddhist sites depriving
India of over US$ 1 Billion
PTI, Jan 25, 2007
New Delhi, India -- Lack of proper tourist
infrastructure and connectivity to major Buddhist sites is
depriving India of nearly US$1 billion (over Rs 4,500 crore)
earning and a tourist swell of 400 percent, a study has said.
Less than just one per cent of the world's Buddhist population
visits India, the land of Lord Buddha's birth, thanks to lack of
basic wayside amenities, bad roads and near-absence of tourist
infrastructure at major Buddhist sites, according to a
comprehensive FICCI-ICRA study conducted here recently.
Calling attention toward the potential attraction of Buddhism among
its followers worldwide, the study pointed out that tourist
arrivals could go up by 400 per cent and India stands to earn
nearly $1 billion, if only some serious efforts were made towards
developing the Buddhist destinations.
The study calls for increase in direct flights from Buddhist
countries like China and Japan, raising number of direct domestic
flights between the sites, provision of wayside amenities, budgets
hotels and guides who could speak key foreign languages.
A five-point agenda evolved by FICCI to boost Buddhist tourism
includes improving air connectivity with countries like China,
improving rail connectivity within key Buddhist sites, encouraging
Joint-Venture enterprise in developing infrastructure, putting
world class conservation mechanism in place and issuance of
multi-entry visa for the travellers.
"All this requires a coordination between ministries of tourism,
civil aviation, railways, surface transport and external affairs,"
the study noted.
Positioning India as a Hub for Buddhist Tourism, the study,
observed that India has been able to attract only 0.06 per cent of
the worlds Buddhist population of about 350 million.
China, which is billed as biggest tourist outbound market by 2010,
contributed only 0.1 per cent of nearly three million total
outbound travellers, to the Buddhist sites in India.
The five countries of China, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam and Myanmar
account for more than 90 per cent of the world's Buddhist
population.
But total traffic to the Buddhist circuit is about two lakhs, which
is only 5 per cent of the total in-bound traffic to India.
"It is important to encourage a public-private partnership by
incentivising investment in creating and maintaining basic tourism
infrastructure like good roads, clean budget hotels, security,
availability of guides trained to speak key foreign languages,
presence of restaurants and wayside amenities, hygienic
environment," the study said.
Noting that Buddhist sites of tourist interests were spread over
ten States, the study said," Issuance of a multi-entry visa is a
key requirement for Buddhist tourists traveling on a circuit. The
standard route taken by Buddhist tourists is Bodhgaya, Nalanda,
Rajgir, Patna, Kushinagar, Lumbini, Sravasti and Sarnath."
"Hence a multi-entry visa will enable the tourists to travel to
Nepal and be back in India and save time and trouble in having to
reapply for visa in order to complete the circuit," it added.
The FICCI also called for a "multi-pronged marketing strategy"
since different countries have followers of different Buddhist
doctrines.
"This will help market the Buddhist sites in appropriate countries,
target higher-spend category tourists from these existing countries
and address new markets," it said.
There is also a need for proper implementation of conservation
strategies and monitoring at regular intervals to make Buddhist
monuments, sites and structures world-class destinations, it
added.
The study noted that holistic development of Buddhist tourism in
India assumes special significance in the light of the decision by
India and China to celebrate 2007, as the India-China Year of
Friendship Through Tourism and the designation of 2007 by India and
Japan as the India Japan Tourism Exchange Year.
