Religious Tourism: Are we doing enough?

The diverse cultural wealth of Nepal provides huge potential for religious tourism. Motivating domestic visitors and attracting pilgrims from neighboring countries is of great importance.  

Nepal’s rich cultural heritage offers an ample possibility for religious tourism. The population—enriched with several castes, ethnicity and nationality is a portrait of a great cultural legacy. The variety of societies is a great cultural wealth in itself. The harmony among culture is a pride. However, has Nepal ever been able to harvest the benefits from its rich cultural diversity? Is there any mechanism where we can sell our rich family tradition? Or have we ever harvested substantial gain from religious tourism?

So far, Nepal’s religious tourism has always been dependent on luck. As the religion is dependent on faith, the path of its development has remained reliant on destiny. As a resolution, religious tourism in Nepal is following a stunted growth.

Approximately 300 to 330 million pilgrims visit the world's key religious sites every year, reports the World Tourism Organization. Likewise, Americans traveling overseas for "religious or pilgrimage" purposes has increased from 491,000 travelers in 2002 to 633,000 travelers in 2005 (30% growth), estimates the U.S. Office of Travel and Tourism Industries. This image indicates that religious tourists are getting.

However, religious tourism is one among the most promising sector in Nepal. In fact, Nepal harbors fertile ground for flourishing two of the world’s eminent religion—Hinduism and Buddhism. The country slotted between India and China shares a piece of the larger history of ancient civilizations blossoming in the area. Consequently, this tiny southern Asian state offers holy land for the Buddhists of the world. In addition, similarity in history, culture and geography with the vast populace of the south of Himalayas-- across the Ganges plains-- allures millions of Hindu pilgrims of India. Moreover, the country with abundant temples, monasteries and shrines are of outstanding importance for the predominant number of fans in Nepal and abroad.

Nepal is garnered with rich cultural diversity and harmonious religious co-existence among Hindu, Buddhist, Christian, Muslim, Bon, Kirat, Jain and Sikh. For the Hindus, there is one among the holiest--Pashupatinath Temple situated in Kathmandu. Devghat in Tanau district is also a famous spot for Hindus. Likewise, Lumbini, the birthplace of Lord Buddha is one of the most revered places for Buddhists in the world, is sited in Rupandehi district. In addition, there are monasteries and caves where Guru Rinpoche meditated. Up in the Himalaya of Mustang district Lord Vishnu is believed to reside in the temple of Muktinath. The district also contains Bonpo shrines. The holy lake of Gosainkunda near the mountain top is devoted to Lord Shiva. 

A routine of religious and ethnic festivals are enjoyed in these pilgrimage sites. The large number of devotees, both Nepalese and Indians, visit Pashupatinath temple during Shivaratri. They also celebrate Maghe Sankranti in Devghat and Kumbhamela in Chatara, Sunsari. 

Several honored religious leaders, priests, saints, monks and Maulanas have been inhabited these places. They have been preserving cultures; motivating people for visiting the place, and inspiring devotees for of pilgrimage.     

However, the epic significance of the religious sites and the perpetual efforts of those religious figures are still insufficient. As a result, Nepal has not been able to showcase its religious hotspot to the prospective customers—pilgrims and tourists—in the region. 

For example, in India, religious tourism has been given an utmost priority. Religious figures, government, private sector and media are playing a significant role in promotion. Most of the locations of mythological significance are already enlisted in scriptures. For example, Gaya, Kashi, Puri, Badrinath dham, Kedarnath dham, Haridwar, Dwaraka etc have already collected hoards of publicity in religious teachings. Next, their media and film also played a significant role in promoting religious tourism. Some Bollywood movies portrays religious sites. The television channels also encourage their viewers to believe in their respective believes and promote religious tourism eventually. Furthermore, celebrated religious persons—there are many in India—play an important prominent role for influencing people for pilgrimage. As a result, countless people flock to India annually in their voyage for religion.

Moreover, people of Mecca, the Muslim holy place, do not need agriculture because the God has given them the pilgrimage as their yearly crop. Millions of Muslims go to the Islam’s holiest site, Saudi Arabia to take part in the year’s haj. The annual haj ceremony brings approximately 16.5 billion dollar—3% of GDP to Saudi Arabia. Next, Jerusalem, a holy metropolitan for all three Abrahamic religions, also draws large number of pilgrims. Likewise, huge number of Shia Muslims visit shrines in Iraq.

Despite having Buddhists’ holy site—Lumbini in Nepal, an adequate mechanism is still lacking. World’s second largest economy—China is just at the northern border. Although Buddhist population is rapidly being converted to Christianity in China, the remaining number of Buddhist in the country are still higher than any countries in the world. If Nepal can attract them, it would be enough for sure.

There is a need to attract religious tourists/devotees by promoting pilgrimages through religious personalities, government agencies, private sector and media. Definitely, media has a profound effect—proved by many researches—on customer’s motivation. A regular discussion on pilgrimage sites in media with eminent spiritual personalities has a profound effect on potential visitors. It helps local devotees/pilgrims to explore native religious places of divine reputation rather going India or China because travelling to other countries has become riskier for Nepalese pilgrims.

In a nutshell, we have to promote our religiously valued holy sites to our citizen first, that will save a huge sum of money from going abroad. Besides visiting Indian cities or Manasarovar of China for religious tour, we have to explore our historically important places. Next, the strategic location of Nepal between two great Asian cultures—India and China gives us a great opportunity to earn, develop and prosper. This can also be possible through religious tourism. Also, attracting the prospective tourists of the Indian Sub-continent to visit the Nepalese pilgrimage destinations is a big battle to be won.