It has been observed religion/Spiritualism is the main purpose of travel, but untapped markets remain

As per a survey conducted by International Finance corporation in this sector

• 72% of international tourists, and 60% of domestic, traveled to the Buddhist Circuit for spiritual/religious reasons.

• 6o% of international tourists came from countries where Buddhism is historically a dominant religion.

• Increasing influx of tourists from non-Buddhist countries. More North Americans (51%) said they were religious tourists than Japanese (44%) or Chinese (49%).

• Very few domestic visitors from outside UP & Bihar.

Temples, historical relic’s main attraction while results also indicate interest in other activities

• Most popular activities were visiting temples/stupas, and offering prayers followed by visiting museums and historical relics – regardless of the primary purpose of travel.

• 40% of international tourists engaged in visiting villages and attending festivals

Patterns of Travel: Extended length of stay, good potential for repeat travel

• 85% of international tourists visit the entire Circuit Main entry points: Bodhgaya (49%) and Sarnath (32%)

• International tourists stay between 5 to 13 days, versus 2 to 10 days for domestic tourists.

• 25% of international and 38% of domestic travelers was repeat visitors. The highest incidence of repeat travel (30%) was from Thailand, Sri Lanka, Japan and Myanmar.

Package tours overwhelmingly popular for international visitors

• 69% international tourists liked to plan their travel Sarnath & Bodhgaya exhibit a different trend, where 54% and 42% respectively had no prior booking

• 31% of international tourists travel without prior booking.

• Among package tourists, Japanese tend to stay longer; among independent tourists, Burmese and Thais do.

• The Internet (32%) is the main source of awareness for international tourists. Other important sources are travel literature (31%) and word of mouth (28%)

• Word of mouth is the main source of awareness for domestic tourists (56%), followed by travel literature (25%) and newspapers (21%).

Sub-circuit within the Buddhist Circuit: Sarnath Kushinagar

• Majority of foreign tourists in Sarnath come from Western countries as compared to other sites, where most of the tourists come from Buddhist countries.

• Tourists in Sarnath leisure and entertainment as primary motivation for their visit.

• Most tourists traveled independently to Sarnath while Kushinagar is mostly visited on packaged tours.

• Repeat travel is lowest in Sarnath and highest in Kushinagar among all the sites.

• Visitors to Kushinagar also visited Sarnath. A visit to Sarnath does not necessarily indicate a trip to Kushinagar.

Sub-circuit within the Buddhist Circuit: Bodhgaya – Nalanda – Rajgir

• Budhgaya receives only a small percentage of package tourists as compared to Rajgir and Nalanda. Rajgir only site which heavily on tour operators for awareness.

• Rajgir & Nalanda falls under middle of the trip category whereby 56% of domestic tourists and 70% of foreign tourists visit the sites in the middle of their trip. 58% of all tourists visit only Bodhgaya.

• Most of the domestic in Rajgir and Nalanda come from nearby cities

Service Quality Issues among Tourists

Most Satisfactory Parameters                   Unsatisfactory Parameters

• Friendliness of the people                           Availability of medical facilities

• Personal safety                                           Sanitation

• Access to temples                                       Facilities for children

• Accessibility of historical heritage sites                   Quality of roads Convenience and access to local transport

Apart from this, International Tourists were found to be less satisfied/ dissatisfied with additional parameters

Less Satisfactory Parameters                         Unsatisfactory Parameters

• Interpretation/Signage at Temples                 Availability and quality of local transport

• Interpretation of historical heritage sites                  Visitors information Telecommunication

• Availability of national cuisine                        Shopping opportunities

Some hypotheses for discussion – need for further testing

• The Unique Selling Proposition of the Buddhist Circuit is unquestionably spiritual; potential to focus on activities that enhance the spiritual/religious experience.

• Aside from the pull of Bodh Gaya, there may be considerable potential for Sarnath as a gateway to the Buddhist Circuit, especially for non-Buddhist visitors.

• Travelers cite frustrations with the practicalities of road and rail travel

• East and Southeast Asia are the main international markets, but there are other niche markets (e.g. North Americans/Europeans on a spiritual journey)

• The Buddhist Circuit holds significant potential for visits of the long duration and repeat travel.