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 INDIAIndia 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 Councilfor Applied Economic Research (NCAER) shows that of the 230 milliontourist trips undertaken in India, the largest proportion is made up ofreligious pilgrimages.Such journeys, which are undertaken by both rural and urban Indians,outnumber leisure holidays in hill stations, getaways to sea beaches andeven trips to metropolitan cities. The research also shows that of all thepackage tours organised in India, religious trips accounted for 50 percent, much higher than leisure tour packages at 28 per cent.

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For instance, as many as 23 million people visited Tirupati, a templetown near the southern tip of India to catch a glimpse of a deity knownas Lord Balaji. Tirupati’s annual list of pilgrims is higher than the totalnumber of travellers visiting Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore and Kolkata puttogether.To manage such a large number of people, infrastructure has beenbeefed up by religious trusts, state governments, private chains and thecentral government.

Religious Tourism- India’s Very Unique Selling Proposition

Thousands of kilometers from Tirupati, in the northern state of Jammuand Kashmir 17.2 million devotees trek uphill for 15 km to pay respectsto a female goddess called Vaishno Devi. For their benefit, Indian RailwaysTourism Corporation runs a special package tour, while India’s onlyhelicopter ferry service, Pawan Hans, runs a helicopter service right upto the temple.

A few hundred kilometres up, another 1.5 million brave biting cold andardous pony rides to visit Kedarnath and Badrinath, Yamunotri andGangotri, four shrines nestled high up in the Himalayas—and known asthe Four Pillars of Hinduism. Today, efforts are made to make the tripeasier. The local government of Uttaranchal, the state were the fourshrines are located, has drawn up a master plan of US $47 million for thedevelopment of infrastructure at the Four Pillars pilgrimage.

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Another 18.2 million pilgrims traveled to Puri, a temple town on theeastern coast. To facilitate easy access to this pilgrim hot spot, theOrissa government has upgraded all the access roads.

Since Hinduism is India’s dominant religion, it isn’t surprising that anoverwhelming number of religious travelers are Hindus. But India’sminority communities are also showing a keenness for religious andspiritual travel. Last year, the tomb of Moinuddin Chisti, which is consideredone of the holiest Islamic shrines in the country, had 8.2 millionvisitors. Similarly, the Golden Temple in Amritsar – the nerve centre ofthe Sikh religion had 7.22 million pilgrims. The managements of thesepilgrim spots have also taken the initiative to become more pilgrimfriendly—the Golden Temple management committee now even acceptsonline 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 Biharand Uttar Pradesh in north India. Buddhist pilgrims from Japan, SouthKorea, Thailand, Sri Lanka and recently, China throng these two states atany point of time in the year. They visit the banyan tree at Bodhgayaunder 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 theBuddhist pilgrim circuit.

There are no official statistics on the number of foreign Buddhist pilgrimsvisiting India, but industry sources believe that more than 2 millionBuddhist pilgrims have been visiting India every year, considering that 84per cent of Japan’s population is Buddhist; 95 per cent of Thailand isBuddhist; 47 per cent of Korea is Buddhist and with Buddhism being thedominating religion in China, there is clear evidence many people fromthe People’s Republic would like to visit India.

THE BUDDHIST TOUCH

Tirupati, South India

Temple, Deity 23 million

Puri, East Coast Temple, Deity 18.17 million

Vaishno Devi, North India

Temple, Deity 17.25 million

Haridwar, North India

Holy Bathing, River Ganges

11.04 million

Naina Devi, North India

Temple, Deity 08.28 million

Mathura, North India

Place of birth of

Lord Krishna

08.28 million

Ajmer Sharif, West India

Tomb of Saint 08.22 million

Amritsar, North India

Golden Temple 07.13 million

Shirdi, Western India

Pay respects to Saint Sai Baba

06.21 million

Badrinath & Kedarnath

Pilgrimage to seek atonement

04.1 million

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

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• 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 4530/07SHANTANU DUBEY BBA 4533/07