RELIGIOUS TOURISM

Religious tourism, also commonly referred to as faith tourism, is a form of

tourism, whereby people of faith travel individually or in groups for pilgrimage,
missionary, or leisure (fellowship) purposes.

Religious tourism has a big future in India. India is richly endowed with ancient
temples and religious festivals. Religions originating in India, be it Hinduism,
Sikhism, Jainism or Buddhism, have a vibrant culture and spiritual philosophy.
Together, they present a viable, alternative way of life as compared to the
materialism and confrontation prevalent in the West.

The religions of Indian origin are also proving to be an attraction to many

persons of non-Indian origin because these religions advocate a pacifist and
inclusive approach to life. This is evident from the posts that can be read on the
numerous blog sites devoted to religion. And there can be no better way to
introduce these aspirants to Indian religions than to entice them to come to India
and undertake and experience religious tourism themselves.
 RELIGIONS IN INDIA
India has long been known as a very spiritual,
religious heavy area of the world. in India, religion
is a way of life. It is an integral part of the entire
Indian tradition. For the majority of Indians, religion
permeates every aspect of life, from common-
place daily chores to education and politics.

Secular India is home to Hinduism, Islam,

Christianity, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and other
innumerable religious traditions. Hinduism is the
dominant faith, practiced by over 80% of the
population. Besides Hindus, Muslims are the most
prominent religious group and are an integral part
of Indian society.

Common practices have crept into most religious

faiths in India and many of the festivals that mark
each year with music, dance and feasting are
shared by all communities.
 PROMINENT RELIGIONS IN INDIA

• Hinduism
• Islam
• Buddhism
• Christianity
• Judaism
• Sikhism
• Zoroastrianism
 PROMINENT RELIGIOUS SPOTS IN
INDIA
• Amarnath
• Vaishno Devi
• Ajmer Sharif
• Tirupati Balaji
• Haridwar
• Nalanda
• Badinath & Kedarnath
• Haridwar
• Mathura
 Religious tourism comprises many
facets of the travel industry

• Pilgrimages
• Missionary travel
• Leisure (fellowship) vacations
• Faith-based cruising
• Crusades, conventions and rallies
• Retreats
• Monastery visits and guest-stays
• Faith-based camps
 INDIANS KEEP THE FAITH: RELIGIOUS
TOURISM
BOOMS IN INDIA

A study by the Delhi based National Council

for Applied Economic Research (NCAER) shows
that of the 230 million
tourist trips undertaken in India, the largest
proportion is made up of
religious pilgrimages.
Such journeys, which are undertaken by both
rural and urban Indians,
outnumber leisure holidays in hill stations,
getaways to sea beaches and
even trips to metropolitan cities. The research
also shows that of all the
package tours organised in India, religious trips
accounted for 50 per
cent, much higher than leisure tour packages at
28 per cent.
 Contd…
For instance, as many as 23 million people
visited Tirupati, a temple
town near the southern tip of India to catch a
glimpse of a deity known
as Lord Balaji. Tirupati’s annual list of pilgrims is
higher than the total
number of travellers visiting Mumbai, Delhi,
Bangalore and Kolkata put
together.
To manage such a large number of people,
infrastructure has been
beefed up by religious trusts, state governments,
private chains and the
central government.
 Religious Tourism- India’s Very Unique
Selling Proposition

Thousands of kilometers from Tirupati, in the northern state of Jammu

and Kashmir 17.2 million devotees trek uphill for 15 km to pay respects
to a female goddess called Vaishno Devi. For their benefit, Indian Railways
Tourism Corporation runs a special package tour, while India’s only
helicopter ferry service, Pawan Hans, runs a helicopter service right up
to the temple.

A few hundred kilometres up, another 1.5 million brave biting cold and
ardous pony rides to visit Kedarnath and Badrinath, Yamunotri and
Gangotri, four shrines nestled high up in the Himalayas—and known as
the Four Pillars of Hinduism. Today, efforts are made to make the trip
easier. The local government of Uttaranchal, the state were the four
shrines are located, has drawn up a master plan of US $47 million for the
development of infrastructure at the Four Pillars pilgrimage.
 Contd…
Another 18.2 million pilgrims traveled to Puri, a temple town on the
eastern coast. To facilitate easy access to this pilgrim hot spot, the
Orissa government has upgraded all the access roads.

Since Hinduism is India’s dominant religion, it isn’t surprising that an

overwhelming number of religious travelers are Hindus. But India’s
minority communities are also showing a keenness for religious and
spiritual travel. Last year, the tomb of Moinuddin Chisti, which is considered
one of the holiest Islamic shrines in the country, had 8.2 million
visitors. Similarly, the Golden Temple in Amritsar – the nerve centre of
the Sikh religion had 7.22 million pilgrims. The managements of these
pilgrim spots have also taken the initiative to become more pilgrim
friendly—the Golden Temple management committee now even accepts
online bookings to stay at the temple complex
 THE BUDDHIST TOUCH
For a number of foreigners, of course, especially
those from across Asia,
India is the land of Buddha – land that spreads over
modern day Bihar
and Uttar Pradesh in north India. Buddhist pilgrims
from Japan, South
Korea, Thailand, Sri Lanka and recently, China
throng these two states at
any point of time in the year. They visit the banyan
tree at Bodhgaya
under which Lord Buddha attained enlightenment.
They visit Sarnath,
where Buddha gave his first sermon, and
Kushinagar where he attained salvation.. The ruins
of Nalanda, where Buddha taught, and Vaishali,
where he preached his last sermon are also
considered key hubs of the
Buddhist pilgrim circuit.
 THE BUDDHIST TOUCH

There are no official statistics on the number of

foreign Buddhist pilgrims
visiting India, but industry sources believe that
more than 2 million
Buddhist pilgrims have been visiting India every
year, considering that 84
per cent of Japan’s population is Buddhist; 95 per
cent of Thailand is
Buddhist; 47 per cent of Korea is Buddhist and
with Buddhism being the
dominating religion in China, there is clear
evidence many people from
the People’s Republic would like to visit India.
Tirupati, South Temple, Deity 23 million
India
Puri, East Coast Temple, Deity 18.17 million

Vaishno Devi, NorthTemple, Deity 17.25 million

India
Haridwar, North Holy Bathing, River 11.04 million
India Ganges
Naina Devi, North Temple, Deity 08.28 million
India
Mathura, North Place of birth of 08.28 million
India Lord Krishna
Ajmer Sharif, West Tomb of Saint 08.22 million
India
Amritsar, North Golden Temple 07.13 million
India
Shirdi, Western Pay respects to 06.21 million
India Saint Sai Baba
Badrinath & Pilgrimage to seek 04.1 million
Kedarnath atonement
 STUDY BY NCAER
• A study by the Delhi based National Council for Applied
Economic Research (NCAER) shows that of the
230million tourist trips undertaken in India, the largest
proportion is made up of religious pilgrimage

• The data quoted in the previous slide has tourist from the
following_

Rural India 169 Million

Urban India 61 Million
 FUTURE OF RELIGIOUS
TOURISM IN INDIA
The international tourism market is no longer about “one shoe fitting all.” It is
divided into specialized segments ranging from shopping to adventure sports and
from animal safaris to nightlife. Religious tourism has a big future in India. India
is richly endowed with ancient temples and religious festivals. Religions originating
in India, be it Hinduism, Sikhism, Jainism or Buddhism, have a vibrant culture and
spiritual philosophy. Together, they present a viable, alternative way of life as
compared to the materialism and confrontation prevalent in the West. There is a
revival of religious attitudes not only in India but the world over. The second and
third generations of the Indian diaspora are actively seeking out their roots in
religion. The religions of Indian origin are also proving to be an attraction to many
persons of non-Indian origin because these religions advocate a pacifist and
inclusive approach to life. As religious tourism has picked up in the country, the
traditional destinations have become popular with developers and builders. Given
the crowds that these places attract, it pays to invest here. We have consistently
seen about 15-20% annual rise in demand for such properties over the past five
years or so The places traditionally of interest to buyers include Shirdi, Haridwar,
Rishikesh, Vrindavan. Prices at these locations vary depending on the economic
activity. Rates will be higher in places of religious interest if these locations also
have other market drivers to push up values
 Strategies to enhance religious tourism through
Corporate Market Responsibility (CRP)

• The marketers would get benefit out of the booming religious

tourism as they could find new territories to sell their products and
services. They would also take part in developing these Places
along with local development authorities.

• Marketers could participate in providing basic sanitary facilities

along with they could promote their products viz. If X company
sponsors the Free or Paid Rest room facilities, its products would
only be sold.

• Marketers could also participate in constructing rooms

for devotees to stay and promote their products
 Contd…
• Marketers could offer free/paid transportation facilities which will
carry the promotion of their products/ services

• Pharmaceutical companies could sponsor free medical camps in

which their products could be promoted

• Food products companies could set up their outlets to sell products

with subsidized /actual prices, Clothing/Garment companies could
set up their stalls to promote their products and services
EFFORTS BY:-
GAURAV KUMAR BBA 4530/07
SHANTANU DUBEY BBA 4533/07