 "Aiming to boost tourism, UP to market 'Buddhist Circuit' in South-East Asia")
To tap the full potential of religious and heritage tourism, Uttar Pradesh will market ‘Buddhist Circuit’ sites in South-East Asian countries.
The ‘Buddhist Circuit’, spread across Eastern UP, Nepal and Western Bihar regions, attracts people from several Asian countries including Japan, China, Thailand, Taiwan, Singapore, South Korea, Vietnam, Sri Lanka etc.
Some of these hotspots in UP comprise Varanasi, Sarnath, Shravasti, Kapilvastu, Kaushambi, Siddharthnagar and Sankisa, while Bodh Gaya, Vaishali, Rajgir, Kesariya are in Bihar. Lumbini is located in neighbouring Nepal.
According to UP tourism minister Jaiveer Singh, a big chunk of tourists from countries like Thailand, Laos, Vietnam etc. visit the Buddhist sites in the state since UP Buddhist Circuit holds a special appeal to the Buddhist devotees worldwide.
“This sector presents vast opportunities for job creation and income. The government is concentrating on upgrading tourist facilities throughout state-owned tourist spots to enhance overall state revenues,” Singh added.
He directed the officials to promote and market the various Buddhist Circuit destinations of UP at the national and international levels.
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Moreover, UP Tourism will invest ~30 crore in the Buddhist site of Sankisa, in Farrukhabad district. The proposal also includes the setting up of a Buddhist Museum over an area of 2.25 acres.
“UP Tourism is dedicated to making Sankisa a world-class tourist destination to attract foreign Buddhist followers, thereby strengthening our economy,” Singh said, noting that several global economies thrived on tourism.
The improvement in the road and air transport infrastructure, including highways, expressways and airports is also feeding tourism growth in UP.
Akasa Air co-founder and chief commercial officer Praveen Iyer said the spectrum of culture and heritage tourism sites in UP provided a huge potential for travel and tourism growth.
Last year, nearly 480 million domestic and foreign tourists visited UP, an increase of over 50 per cent compared to 2022.
He claimed that UP was the fastest-growing domestic market for air travel, and the uptick in business and leisure travellers from across the globe will continue to feed the state’s trajectory.
Meanwhile, the state tourism department in collaboration with the union tourism ministry will jointly conduct a survey to assess tourist footfall in UP.
The survey will collect data on tourists, their categories, accommodation preferences such as hotels, and other relevant information.