INDIA

FA STE S T GROW IN G
F RE E MA RK ET D EM OCRACY

TOURISM

Indians Keep The Faith: Reli-

gious Tourism Booms in India

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TOURISM

INDIANS KEEP THE FAITH: RELIGIOUS TOURISM

BOOMS IN INDIA
A study by the Delhi India’s new tourism minister, Renuka Chowdhury was typically full
based National Council of
beans in her first day in office on May 25. Less than three hours after
for Applied Economic she
took charge of her new assignment as Minister of Tourism, she called
Research (NCAER) aingroup of reporters and announced with a flourish: “ I want to open
up
unconventional avenues, like religious tourism, not in one part of
shows that of the 230
India,
but all over the
million tourist trips
country.’’
undertaken in India, the
The minister’s enthusiasm doesn’t really come as a surprise, and not
largest proportion is just
because it was her first day in office. Religious tourism has emerged
made up of religious as a
booming market in India. A study by the Delhi based National
pilgrimages. 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. 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. Travelmasti www.travelmasti.co ), a travel
(has religious packages covering as m many as 23 destinations
portal across
India.
The management committee of the Golden Temple -- the holiest
Sikh
shrine – in the city of Amritsar in Punjab offers online booking for
ac-
commodation around the temple complex. Japan’s 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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TOURISM

INDIANS KEEP THE FAITH: RELIGIOUS TOURISM

BOOMS IN INDIA

“People travelling for There is an identification number, date and time engraved on the band.
religious reasons pri- A
devotee can visit the temple only on the specific date and time
men- on the band.
tioned
marily belong to the
elderly community as
Thousands of kilometers from Tirupati, in the northern state of
well as NRIs (Non- Jammu
and Kashmir 17.2 million devotees trek uphill for 15 km to pay
Resident Indians) both respects
to a female goddess called Vaishno Devi. For their benefit, Indian
of whom are particular Rail-
ways Tourism Corporation runs a special package tour, while India’s
about accommodation only
helicopter ferry service, Pawan Hans, runs a helicopter service right
and other amenities.” 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.
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 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
consid-
ered 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.
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LOGISTICS

INDIANS KEEP THE FAITH: RELIGIOUS TOURISM

BOOMS IN INDIA
India is the land of Religious hotspot Purpose of Visit
Buddha – land that Visitors (million
spreads over modern )
day Bihar and Uttar Tirupati, South India Temple, Deity
Pradesh in north India. 23
Buddhist pilgrims from Puri, East Coast Temple, Deity
18.17
Japan, South Korea,
Vaishno Devi, North India Temple, Deity
Thailand, Sri Lanka and 17.25
recently, China throng
Haridwar, North India Holy Bathing, River Ganges
these two states at any 11.04
point of time in the Naina Devi, North India Temple, Deity
year. 8.28
Mathura, North India Pilgrimage, Place of birth of
8.28 Lord Krishna

Ajmer Sharif, West India Tomb of Saint

8.22
Amritsar, North India Golden Temple – Holiest Sikh
7.13 shrin
e
Shirdi, Western India Pay respects to Saint Sai Baba
6.21
Badrinath & Kedarnath, Pilgrimage to seek atonement
4.1
Himalaya
s
Source: National Council of Applied Economic Research

Where they are coming Millio

from n
Rural 169
India
Urban 61
India
Source: National Council of Applied Economic Research

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 salvation.. The ruins of Nalanda, where Buddha taught, and
Indian Industry (CII) has Vaishali,
where he preached his last sermon are also considered key hubs of
recommended that the the
Buddhist pilgrim
circuit.
new government should
identify 25 domestic There are no official statistics on the number of foreign Buddhist
pilgrims
visiting India, but industry sources believe that more than 2
tourist sites and spend
million pilgrims have been visiting India every year, considering that
Buddhist
up to US$ 22 million in 84
per cent of Japan’s population is Buddhist; 95 per cent of Thailand
each site to develop is
Buddhist; 47 per cent of Korea is Buddhist and with Buddhism being
infrastructure. the
dominating religion in China, there is clear evidence many people
from
the People’s 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 ministry’s 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
actu-
ally do, not all will come for religious reasons, there is no doubt that
areligious 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 infor@ncaer.or
emailing: g
2. To learn more about the new government’s plans for the
tour ism sector, visit the tourism ministry’s official
website:
tourismofindia.co
s m
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LOGISTICS

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