Lessons to learn
Abhilasha Rayamajhi
With the objective to promote Buddhist pilgrimage in India,
5th International Buddhist Conclave 2016 was organised by the Government of
India, Ministry of Tourism. State
Governments of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar played an active role in the
international conclave. Around 300 delegates from 39 countries participated in
the event which took place from October 2 to October 6.
Buddhist monks, scholars, journalists, travel writers,
government officials, travel agents, tour operators and other delegates from
around the world were invited to the prestigious programme. Fortunately I
received this opportunity to witness this spiritual conclave as a
representative from Nepal. The inauguration was held on New Delhi and the
delegates visited Varanasi, Saranath, Nalanda, Rajgir and Bodh Gaya in Uttar
Pradesh and Bihar.
All the delegates were warmly welcomed and hosted by the
Government of India. Chavanee Tongroach, Vice Minister of Tourism and Sports of
Kingdom of Thailand shared that the conclave was an enriching and spiritual
experience. Visiting places like Bodh Gaya and Sarnath was quite fascinating
for almost all the delegates.
The international conclave was held in New Delhi and
Bodhgaya in February 2004, Nalanda and Bodhgaya in February 2010, Varanasi and
Bodhgaya in September 2012 and 2014. The programme included presentations, B2B
meetings, cultural performance, site visits, networking, and meditation
sessions.
One of the major arguments in almost all the presentations
was to develop and promote Buddhist Circuits in India and in the SAARC region
where Buddhist monasteries and heritages are present.
The Ministery of Tourism, Government of India has sanctioned
an amount of IRs 132.17 till date for
development of Buddhist circuit in India under its 'Swadesh Darshan Scheme'.
The Tourism Minister of India, Dr Mahesh Sharma stated that Uttar Pradesh, the
Ministry of Tourism will sanction IRs 99.97 million for infrastructure
development of Buddhist circuit covering Saravasti, Kapilvastu and Kushinagar.
The four major sites of pilgrimage for followers of Buddha
are Lumbini, Bodh Gaya, Sarnath and Khusinagar. Lumbini where Buddha was born,
Bodh Gaya where he attained enlightenment, Sarnath where he gave his first
sermon and Kushinagar where he chose for his final exit from the earth.
Additionally, Nalanda, Rajgir, Vaishali and Sravasti are other scared sites in
India where Buddha had travelled.
Buddhist Circuit is not complete without Lumbini. Therefore,
this international conclave has definitely helped in promoting Lumbini and
tourism in Nepal. It also provided a platform for the Nepali delegates to
promote Lumbini as the birthplace of Nepal.
The travel and tour operators from India, Srilanka and other
countries complained that Lumbini lacks proper road connectivity and communication
facilities. During a networking session one tour operator from Srilanka said
that they used to have Lumbini in our package but now they are not including it
because of the poor road connectivity, lack of communication and coordination
from concerned authorities. There is no information on whom to contact if they
need facilities such as wheelchair for those who are unable to walk inside the
pilgrimage.
Political interferences and personal interests must not come
in the way of development of such a sacred site. It is high time for the
holistic development of Lumbini for economic prosperity of the nation.
Government of India, Ministry of tourism has a clear vision
of how to promote the right destinations to the right markets. They understand
the global market for cultural and religious tourism. It is high time for the
Government of Nepal to learn lessons from the Indian Government and
aggressively market Buddhist pilgrimages in Nepal.
Many people in the world still do not know where the
birthplace of Buddha is and even numerous Nepali have not visited Lumbini.
During my conversations with journalists from South Africa and United Kingdom I
realised that even they are not aware about the birthplace of Buddha. In such
scenario how can we tap even the spill over tourists from India in such a
scenario?
Therefore, the Government of Nepal and private sector must
be serious about promoting Lumbini as the birthplace of Buddha to the national
as well as in the global market. Rather than just creating slogans and speeches
stating ‘Buddha was born in Nepal’, we should take immediate actions for the
development of Lumbini by learning lessons on how to promote destinations and
reach out to the global markets from our southern neighbours.
