Abstract
Spiritual tourism is one of the oldest forms of tourism. The purpose of this chapter is to review the key reasons for lack of promotion of investment and economic relations via tourism services related to Buddhist heritage and spiritual tourism circuit and sites to Southeast Asian countries as well as to domestic tourists. Sarnath, in Varanasi, is the hub of Buddhism in India, opened in 2016. There is road, rail, and air connection from Sarnath to various other Buddhist sites. This circuit can be promoted in counties of Southeast Asia and South Asia to spiritual followers of Buddhism as well as ‘New Age' Buddhists. Thailand, Japan, and Korea have invested in spiritual infrastructure in Sarnath for their citizens who visit for Buddhist pilgrimage. This chapter identifies the challenges, opportunities, and provides recommendations for the Indian government to provide a business friendly environment and to encourage foreign direct investment for state-of-the-art infrastructure development from Southeast Asian nations around the Buddhist spiritual tourism circuit.
TopIntroduction
Spiritual or religious tourism is a niche segment of tourism in general appreciated in the post-secular era since the events of 9-11 (Cohen, 2006; Olsen, 2019). It is one of the oldest forms of tourism or travel for pilgrimage to religious destinations, places of worships, and events (Cohen, 2006; Rinschede, 1992; Vukonic, 1996; Zhang, 2018). Spiritual tourism is a cultural, spiritual, social, and economic, phenomenon related to spiritual places and people (Haq & Medhekar, 2020). It involves people who travel outside their environment within the country or overseas to spiritual or sacred places as pilgrims or spiritual tourists (Das, 2016; Griffin & Raj, 2017). Tourism is the main driver of economic development of a country for job creation and production of goods and services related to particular niche tourism segments such as spiritual tourism- related to different religious, such as Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, Jainism, Hinduism, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, and Sikhism (Das, 2016; Brunn, 2016; Haq & Medhekar, 2014, 2018, & 2020; Olsen, 2019; Rumki & Kushagra, 2018). Spiritual tourists classify themselves in many ways as devotees', 'pilgrims', 'travellers', 'seekers', attending religious conferences, events and festival or ‘spiritual adventurers’. “Interestingly, many spiritual tourists have been classified by academic researchers as practicing pilgrimage, religious, special interest, cultural or experiential tourists” (Haq & Jackson, 2009, p.142).
The success of any tourism destination, including spiritual tourism sites, monuments liked with spiritual founders/people such as Buddha, and places can be developed and promoted if the motives and needs of the niche segments of spiritual tourists is identified and looked after by the spiritual tourism goods and service providers at the destination (Finney et al., 2009; Haq & Medhekar, 2020; Shinde et al., 2020; Timothy & Olsen, 2006; Yasuda et al., 2018). Spiritual or religious tourism is motivated by spiritual reasons and can be a visit to a nearby temple, church, or mosque; or for number of days and weeks within the county or across international borders for spiritual/religious purposes to holy cities/places and holy sites and monuments (Haq & Medhekar, 2018; Zhang, 2018). There is a huge potential to develop, attract foreign direct investment and promote the existing Buddhist spiritual tourism circuit and include other relevant Buddhist heritage sites and monuments in the various northern eastern states of India (Rumki & Kushagra, 2018). However, the niche spiritual tourism segments development is neglected by the central and the state governments and has developed by private sector in a haphazard manner (Bruntz, Schedneck, & Rowe, 2020). According to Centre Bureau for the Promotion of Imports from developing countries (CBI) religious tourism market covers specialised niche products pilgrimage, visiting sacred sites, temples, church mosques, travel with a purpose of worship and mission. These are visited by believers for religious and worship purpose as well as by non-believers for their aesthetic beauty, heritage value, cultural, and architectural importance (CBI, 2021).
Key Terms in this Chapter
Circuit: Circuit includes places which are regularly visit by people. For example, Buddhist circuit includes all the key places that were linked to and visited by Buddha. The Buddhist spiritual pilgrims travel or journey along the Buddhist circuit from his place of birth to where he achieved enlightenment, following the footsteps of Buddha.
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs): Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are the goals adopted in 2000, by the United Nations General Assembly to reduce extreme poverty and set out a series of goals with time-bound targets. These Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) have 8 goals, 21 targets and 60 indicators were to be achieved by the end of 2015. These are nothing but pre-development agenda of sustainable development goals (SDGs).
Heritage Tourism: Heritage tourism is a niche subset of tourism and relates to visiting centuries old cultural and heritage sites such as spiritual places, forts, monuments, battlegrounds, industrial and geographical sites, and also to experience authentic cultural activities and appreciate the contributions made by our past civilizations.
Multilateral Trade: Multilateral trade agreement occurs between three or more nations, and they are treated equally, and no one gets a most favoured nation status. The aim is to standardize commerce regulations, encourage exports and imports, reduced tariffs and quotas between member countries. Multilateral agreements are beneficial to emerging markets developing countries as it makes them more competitive, and trade can be negotiated with more than one country at one time.
Spiritual Tourism: Spiritual tourism is about visiting holy and spiritual places of worship belonging to different religions (church, temples, synagogue, and mosques) and gain spiritual experience and enlightenment to improve once wellbeing in terms of body, mind and spirit.
Public-Private Partnerships: It involves cooperation and collaboration between the government and private organizations to plan, develop, and implement projects related to infrastructure, transport, highways, or tourism development that is finance-build-operate-transfer through PPPs.