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Indians Keep The Faith: Religious Tourism Booms in India

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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.
Indias new tourism minister, Renuka Chowdhury was typically full of beans in her first day in office on May 25. Less than three hours after she took charge of her new assignment as Minister of Tourism, she called in a group of reporters and announced with a flourish: I want to open up unconventional avenues, like religious tourism, not in one part of India, but all over the country. The ministers enthusiasm doesnt really come as a surprise, and not just because it was her first day in office. Religious tourism has emerged as a booming market 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. 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. Tirupatis 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. Travelmasti (www.travelmasti.com), a travel portal has religious packages covering as many as 23 destinations across India. The management committee of the Golden Temple -- the holiest Sikh shrine in the city of Amritsar in Punjab offers online booking for accommodation around the temple complex. Japans Nikko Hotels has lined up a series of hotels along the Buddhist circuit in east India, while Indian Tourism Development Corporation has upgraded its facility at Bodh Gaya, the place where Lord Buddha first meditated. To control crowds, Tirupati has a close circuit network to ensure security. Also to streamline crowd flow, devotees have to strap on the mandatory white electronically checked bands on their right wrists.
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INDIANS KEEP THE FAITH: RELIGIOUS TOURISM BOOMS IN INDIA People travelling for religious reasons primarily belong to the elderly community as well as NRIs (NonResident Indians) both of whom are particular about accommodation and other amenities.
There is an identification number, date and time engraved on the band. A devotee can visit the temple only on the specific date and time mentioned on the band. 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 Indias 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 Himalayasand 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. One of the largest tour operators in India, Sita Travels organises tours that come complete with a driver-cum-guide facility, deluxe tents and vegetarian meals. People travelling for religious reasons primarily belong to the elderly community as well as NRIs (Non-Resident Indians) both of whom are particular about accommodation and other amenities, points out Mahesh Shirodkar, chief operating officer of Sita Overseas Travel Corporation. 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 Indias dominant religion, it isnt surprising that an overwhelming number of religious travelers are Hindus. But Indias 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 friendlythe Golden Temple management committee now even accepts online bookings to stay at the temple complex.
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INDIANS KEEP THE FAITH: RELIGIOUS TOURISM BOOMS IN INDIA 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.
Religious hotspot Purpose of Visit Visitors (million) 23 18.17 17.25 11.04 8.28 8.28

Tirupati, South India Puri, East Coast Vaishno Devi, North India Haridwar, North India Naina Devi, North India Mathura, North India

Temple, Deity Temple, Deity Temple, Deity Holy Bathing, River Ganges Temple, Deity Pilgrimage, Place of birth of Lord Krishna Tomb of Saint Golden Temple Holiest Sikh shrine Pay respects to Saint Sai Baba Pilgrimage to seek atonement

Ajmer Sharif, West India Amritsar, North India Shirdi, Western India Badrinath & Kedarnath, Himalayas

8.22 7.13 6.21 4.1

Source: National Council of Applied Economic Research

Where they are coming from Rural India Urban India

Source: National Council of Applied Economic Research

Million 169 61

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
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INDIANS KEEP THE FAITH: RELIGIOUS TOURISM BOOMS IN INDIA The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has recommended that the new government should identify 25 domestic tourist sites and spend up to US$ 22 million in each site to develop infrastructure.
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. 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 Japans 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 Peoples Republic would like to visit India. Infact, visitors from Chinese servers to the Incredible India website have outpaced those from India by nearly 150 per cent. Data at Grey India Worldwide, the tourism ministrys promotion agency, showed that 64.63 per cent of all Asian browsers in March this year were from China. Even though not all these surfers will visit India, and of those who actually do, not all will come for religious reasons, there is no doubt that a religious pilgrimage could eventually be a big draw in China, if marketed properly. The potential of religious tourism market in India has already been realised. The priority now is to nurture and develop this market so that more value can be extracted. The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has recommended that the new government should identify 25 domestic tourist sites and spend up to US$ 22 million in each site to develop infrastructure. It would be a small but important step towards bringing Indian culture to the 21st century. Related Resources: 1. The pilgrimage numbers for various religious spots are based on research carried out by NCAER. Full details of the report are available with the publications division of NCAER. To learn more about the report, contact Mr S Bery, Director General, NCAER. He can be contacted at: 91-11 23379861-8, 23379870. Alternatively, details can be sought by emailing: infor@ncaer.org To learn more about the new governments plans for the tour ism sector, visit the tourism ministrys official website: tourismofindia.com

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