Centre organises 'Buddhist Circuit Train FAM Tour and Conference' to promote religious tourism

The Ministry of Tourism has aggressively started tourism promotion after the dramatic improvement of COVID-19 situation in the country. In an attempt to boost Buddhist tourism, Union Minister of State for Tourism Ajay Bhatt flagged off the “Buddhist Circuit Train FAM Tour” from Safdarjung railway station on Monday and appealed to people to explore Indian destinations first before visiting global tourist spots.

Sh. Ajay Bhatt, Hon'ble Minister of State for Tourism and Defence flagged off the journey for 'Buddhist Circuit Train FAM Tour and Conference', at Delhi Safdarjung Railway Station. @PMOIndia @kishanreddybjp @KishanReddyOfc @shripadynaik @AjaybhattBJP4UK @IRCTCofficial pic.twitter.com/hBOfbfyT85

— Ministry of Tourism (@tourismgoi) October 4, 2021

He said the “Buddhist Circuit Train FAM Tour” aims to tap the potential of Buddhist tourism in the country. The Buddhist Circuit Tourist Train covers the destinations Gaya-Bodhgaya, Rajgir-Nalanda in Bihar as well as Sarnath-Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, the minister said. “We have great heritage and monuments in our country. We have many Buddhist tourist places where people from several foreign countries like Japan and China come to visit. So, we should first explore our rich heritage,” Bhatt said. The Ministry of Tourism in association with the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has organised the Buddhist Circuit Train FAM Tour as part of the Union government’s ‘‘Dekho Apna Desh’’ initiative. The familiarisation tour will cover prominent Buddhist sites and conferences at Bodhgaya and Varanasi. The event is likely to be attended by tour operators, hoteliers along with officials of the Ministry of Tourism and state governments of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. Senior officials of the IRCTC and Tourism Department said that the last Buddhist Circuit special train ran in February 2020 before the COVID-19 pandemic hid India. “The country is now ready to host tourists,” an official said. Officials said that key issues in the development and promotion of tourism in the Buddhist circuit are likely to be discussed in the conferences in Bodhgaya and Varanasi. Under the Swadesh Darshan Scheme, five projects worth Rs 325.53 crore have been sanctioned for Buddhist circuit development in the states of Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh and those sanctioned projects are under different stages of implementation. While works of Rs 44.19 crore on three projects have been sanctioned under PRASHAD Scheme; in Varanasi, two projects including a sound and light show at Dhamek Stupa and a Buddha Theme Park, Sarnath, worth costing Rs 9.5 crore for the development of Buddhist structures have been completed. The tourism ministry has also showcased Buddhist sites on the Incredible India Website and has also developed a dedicated website www.indiathelandofbuddha.in. This website aims to promote and showcase the rich Buddhist heritage in India and highlight the major destinations visited by Buddha personally across the country. The website has many useful features to make it more interactive and to provide a deeper engagement to the travellers visiting the website. With inputs from PTI