Investing in the Buddhist Circuit : Enhancing the Spiritual, Environmental, Social, and Economic Value of the Places Visited by the Buddha in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, India
India is one of the world’s great reservoirs of history, cultures, philosophies, and religions. The Buddhist circuit is a route that follows in the footsteps of the Buddha from Lumbini in Nepal where he was born, through Bihar in India where he att...
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| Format: | Working Paper |
| Language: | English en_US |
| Published: |
World Bank, Washington, DC
2017
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| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/911791487142754943/The-Buddhist-circuit-enhancing-the-spiritual-environmental-social-and-economic-value-of-the-places-visited-by-the-Buddha-in-Bihar-and-Uttar-Pradesh-India http://hdl.handle.net/10986/26096 |
| Summary: | India is one of the world’s great
reservoirs of history, cultures, philosophies, and
religions. The Buddhist circuit is a route that follows in
the footsteps of the Buddha from Lumbini in Nepal where he
was born, through Bihar in India where he attained
enlightenment, to Sarnath and Kushinagar in Uttar Pradesh in
India, where he gave his first teachings and died. The
Buddhist circuit is an important pilgrimage destination for
the 450 million practicing Buddhists as well as travelers
interested in history, culture, or religion. Investing in
the Buddhist Circuit is the result of first-time
collaboration between the Government of India’s Ministry of
Tourism, the State Governments of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh,
the private sector, Buddhist monasteries and sects, and the
World Bank Group. The work was led by the International
Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group.
Extensive on-the-ground data collection, consultations, and
analysis were conducted. The outcome is a framework for
public and private sector investment that secures and
enhances the experience of the sites while unleashing the
full job creation potential of tourist spending at the towns
and sites, and along the Buddhist circuit. The strategy
outlined in this document seeks to grow the economic impact
of tourism along the Buddhist circuit by attracting
higher-spending tourists and linking them to local goods and
service providers. This strategy recognizes that both public
and private sector investment is required to drive demand
and improve quality of experience while respecting,
preserving, and enhancing the religious value and
significance of the sites. For more publications on IFC
Sustainability please visit www.ifc.org/sustainabilitypublications. |
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