Tourism Ministry undertakes various promotional activities for Buddhist tourism

These promotions are undertaken with the objective of showcasing the various tourist destinations and products of the country including the Buddhist sites.

The Ministry of Tourism undertakes various promotional activities on an ongoing basis in the international markets including those with a Buddhist population. These promotions are undertaken with the objective of showcasing the various tourist destinations and products of the country including the Buddhist sites. Some of the important promotional initiatives taken in this regard are:

(i) To showcase and promote the Buddhist Heritage in India and to boost tourism to the Buddhist sites in the country, the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, organizes an International Buddhist Conclave biennially. Participants in the conclave include eminent Buddhist scholars, opinion makers, tour operators and media personalities from overseas.

(ii) The Ministry of Tourism has organized Road Shows in Yangon (Myanmar), Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam), Phnom Penh (Cambodia) and Bangkok (Thailand) in May 2018 for promotion of India's Buddhist Heritage.

(iii) The Ministry of Tourism has produced a short film on Buddhist sites in the country which has been promoted through the digital and electronic media.

(iv) The Ministry of Tourism has launched a dedicated website on important Buddhist sites in India i.e indiathelandofbuddha.in. This website aims to promote and showcase the rich Buddhist Heritage in India.

Under the Regional Connectivity Scheme Udan-3, 46 tourism routes have been incorporated by the Ministry of Civil Aviation. These include important Buddhist destinations such as Kushinagar, Varanasi (Sarnath) and Gaya (Bodhgaya). Some of the important destinations such as Gaya and Varanasi are already connected with important Buddhist source markets such as Thailand, Srilanka, Bhutan, etc.

Ministry of Tourism under its Schemes of Swadesh Darshan, PRASHAD and Assistance to Central Agencies, provides Central Financial Assistance to State Governments/ Union Territory (UT) Administrations/Central Agencies for development of infrastructure and facilities at thematic tourist circuits in the country and for the holistic development of identified pilgrimage and heritage destinations. The projects under these schemes are identified for development in consultation with the State Governments/UT Administrations and are sanctioned subject to availability of funds, submission of suitably detailed project reports, adherence to scheme guidelines and utilization of funds released earlier.

This information was given by the Minister of State (I/C) of Ministry of Culture and Ministry of Tourism, Shri Prahlad Singh Patel in reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today.

(With Inputs from PIB)