India is universally known as the `Land of the Buddha’ as it is here that Lord Gautam Buddha received enlightenment at Bodh Gaya, preached his first sermon at Sarnath, spent several rain sessions in Rajgir and Vaishali, and reached Mahaparinirvana at Kushinagar.

The entire life of the Buddha transpired in India, making it the spiritual home of more than half a billion Buddhists throughout the world. From the travels of Megasthenes to the well-known Chinese travelers Faxian and Xuanzang, India has been a site of immense historical and religious significance for travelers of all civilizations throughout centuries. But, despite having the richest Buddhist heritage in the world, India attracts just a small number of Buddhist pilgrim tourists from across the world.

Tourists Prefer China and Thailand

There is a huge mass of Buddhist pilgrims from Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, and other predominantly Buddhist nations who regularly undertake pilgrimages. However, unexpectedly, a large cross section of these tourists prefer other destinations, such as China and Thailand, even though Buddhism originated in India. Both these countries have significantly invested in and developed their Buddhist tourism sector through superb infrastructure and efficient transportation systems. Comparatively, India has fallen short in attracting this tourist traffic owing to a number of reasons.

Buddhist Tourism Remains Untapped 

Buddhist tourism, for India, is not only an economic factor but also a valuable tool for highlighting India’s  ancient Buddhist heritage and civilizational richness. With the sacred pilgrimage sites associated with the Buddha being in India – from Bodhgaya to Sarnath to Kushinagar and Rajgir, Vaishali and Shravasti, the more than half a billion Buddhists across the world consider India as a homeland of the faith. 

Traditionally, India has been receiving Buddhist pilgrims from various countries of Asia beginning from the times of Aśoka. The famous Chinese pilgrims Faxian and Xuanzang visited India, risking their lives to understand the core essence of Buddhism and its philosophical depth. Collection of enormous volumes of facts, data, knowledge base and invaluable descriptions of India's religious, educational, and cultural geography  by these Chinese travelers indicates that India has always been regarded as a heart of Buddhism in the historical perspective.

Tourism industry in India has shown considerable post-Covid recovery, proving once again its place amongst the best cultural and heritage tourism destinations in the world. As per data provided by Ministry of Tourism, India has received around 20.57 million ITAs (International Tourist Arrivals)  in 2024, which is an 8.9% increase from 2023 and also above the pre-Covid level of 2019. India has received around 20.09 million international tourists in 2025 provisionally, suggesting that recovery in the tourism sector has been fairly well preserved despite economic headwinds faced across the world. States in India have evinced on their respective tourism strategies which have produced significant results.

Nonetheless, Buddhist tourism remains highly untapped in India inspite of India being recognized as the birthplace of Buddhism. Today, there are about 500-550 million followers of Buddhism who mainly live in the regions of East, Southeast, and South Asia. For millions of Buddhists from nations like Thailand, Japan, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, South Korea, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Bhutan, Mongolia, Singapore, and Taiwan, pilgrimage to the birthplace of Lord Buddha is an ultimate dream. With even 2-3% of Buddhists from such nations taking a religious trip to India every year, India would be able to gain another four to six million tourists of high economic value every year. This would result in a significant increase in foreign currency earnings and employment opportunities.

Realising the importance of this potential, the Government of India has been promoting activities that would draw global attention towards India’s rich Buddhist heritage through creation of the

Buddhist Circuit, holding of International Buddhist Conclaves, and designating the Kushinagar Airport as an international airport. The exposition of the holy relics of the Buddha abroad is also part of this exercise aimed at drawing the larger Buddhist followers from across the world to India.

However, in  order for India to successfully attract 15 to 20 million Buddhist pilgrims annually, there is a need for a well-planned and integrated international-level tourism policy to be formulated.

Poor Tourism Infrastructure  

A critical assessment of the subdued flow of Buddhist tourists to India indicates that this is not due to any lack of heritage, but deficiencies in governance, infrastructure, and destination management. The infrastructure associated with the Buddhist Circuit is not modern and visitor friendly. The roads around these heritage sites are excessively crowded; the public transport system is inefficient; and there is a lack of facilities for visitors, with some sites lacking even information centers, medical facilities, sanitation, resting spots, and facilities for disabled visitors. These issues do adversely  impact the entire experience of pilgrimage, which is not just limited to sightseeing, but the need for a peaceful  environment for meditation. Crowded markets, uncontrolled commerce, and inefficient urban planning often spoil the spiritual nature of the site.

Lack of Air Connectivity

Another major issue is accessibility. The establishment of Kushinagar International Airport and the expansion of Gaya Airport was certainly a big achievement; however, the lack of air routes between the sites and major Buddhist countries is a serious shortcoming. 

People from East Asia usually have to pass through major Indian metropolises to start long trips within India. There is a desperate need for direct air connections between Bodh Gaya, Kushinagar,  Varanasi and major Buddhist cities including Tokyo, Seoul, Taipei, Bangkok, Colombo, Yangon, Singapore, and Ho Chi Minh City.

Fragmented Approach, Lack of Coordination 

The lack of a coordinated approach towards an organized Buddhist circuit has also  adversely impacted India’s Buddhism circuit planning. There is a fragmented approach to tourism planning with each state working on their own strategies without looking at a cohesive approach in coordination with each other. Rather than developing as separate destinations, the sites of Bodh Gaya, Rajgir, Nalanda, Vaishali, Kesariya, Sarnath, Shravasti, and Kushinagar should be developed as one unified pilgrimage route with similar quality of services, convenient transportation, and common management. This would lead to longer stays and increased tourist spending.

The development of accommodation infrastructure needs much improvement as well. Although there are good accommodation facilities in Bodh Gaya, most other destinations are poorly equipped to handle high end international Buddhist tourists. Present-day pilgrims have demands for cleanliness, Internet access, medical care, and internationally accepted standards of hygiene. In this regard, it is worthwhile considering developing public-private partnerships for establishing hotels, spas, meditation centers, and monastic hostels especially for international Buddhist pilgrims.

Absence of multilingual interpreters is yet another weakness. At many Buddhist pilgrimage centers, information is still available only in English and Hindi languages. However, travelers coming from East Asia require multilingual interpreters in Japanese, Korean, Thai, Sinhala, Burmese, Vietnamese, and Chinese. There is also a shortage of professional tourist guides who can provide assistance in Buddhist philosophy, archeology, and intercultural communication. As interpretation plays a crucial role in boosting visitor satisfaction, India needs to follow successful examples of other countries and maintain the uniqueness of heritage.

Environmental management requires improvement as well. Although the core of Buddhism includes cleanliness, mindfulness, and harmonious relationship with nature, some religious centers still have environmental problems such as poor waste management, heavy traffic congestions, bad air quality, and uncontrolled commercialization. There is thus need to pursue environmentally sensitive urban planning, development of walkable routes, landscaping, plastic-free environment, use of renewable energy, scientific waste management, etc.

Another area that needs immediate attention is digital transformation. Today’s tourists rely heavily on technology for planning their itinerary, purchasing tickets, booking accommodations, navigation, making payments, and getting assistance during travels. It will be useful to consider a full-fledged digital solution involving AI-enabled travel planning, multilingual mobile apps, virtual tours in museums, interpretation using QR-codes, emergency assistance, and digital payments. This innovative approach will undoubtedly attract young travelers and technologically developed countries.

Marketing Buddhist Tourism 

The international marketing strategy of Buddhist tourism of India has been inconsistent and less visible. Often the efforts devoted to marketing are eclipsed by other trends like yoga and wellness tourism. Hence there is a need for a separate international marketing strategy focused only on Buddhist tourism. It will involve multilingual promotional materials, documentaries, digital campaigns, tourism events, cooperation with Buddhist organizations and travel operators, and regular Buddhist Tourism Weeks arranged through Indian missions abroad.

Fragmentation of institutions hampers implementation. In the Indian system, responsibilities are divided between several ministries, state governments, archaeological bodies, municipal corporations, and private entities. Consequently, it is recommended to form a National Buddhist Tourism Development Authority to plan, implement, prevent duplicity, and maintain consistency in policy formulation in the coming decades. Moreover, increasing participation of the community through skills and handicrafts development, guide training, and entrepreneurship is also imperative to make sure that tourism is beneficial for locals as well.

Need for Paradigm Policy Shift

Considering all the above-mentioned issues, there is a need for a paradigm shift in the policy. The concept of Buddhist tourism cannot be perceived anymore as a subcategory of cultural tourism, but it has to become a national strategy making a direct contribution to economic growth, employment generation, regional development, cultural diplomacy, and India’s leadership in the world. Thus, there is a need to put in place a National Buddhist Tourism Mission, which will be backed up by a Buddhist Tourism Master Plan 2047 with specific targets concerning infrastructure development, number of tourists, employment generation, sustainability, digitization, and community participation. National Buddhist Tourism Development Authority can be an autonomous institution consisting of tourism, culture, external affairs, civil aviation, railway, archaeological, ICCR, academic, monastic, state government, and private representatives.

It is also suggested creating  Integrated Sacred Heritage Zones around major pilgrimage sites, where world-class amenities for visitors could include interpretation centers, multilingual kiosks, healthcare facilities, landscaped meditation parks, barrier-free environment, secure parking, clean drinking water, and quality public restrooms. Improvement in international air connectivity, luxurious pilgrimage trains, electric buses, and better connectivity at the last mile will make the transportation much more convenient. At the same time, use of digital technology, interpretation in different languages, certification in hospitality, and service quality will greatly improve pilgrimage experience.

It is  also important to emphasize the importance of academic and spiritual tourism. Today’s pilgrims want to learn about Buddhism in many different ways - philosophy, archaeology, meditation, language, etc. It is possible for universities like the University of Delhi, Gautam Buddha University, Nalanda University, Nava Nalanda Mahavihara, Banaras Hindu University, and Lumbini Buddhist University to cooperate in providing international education programs, summer schools, archaeological programs, meditation retreats, and youth exchange programs.

A Civilisation Circuit 

Concerning Vision 2047, this envisions India as the unequivocally undisputed centre of Buddhist pilgrimages in the entire world. As the hundredth year of the Indian independence anniversary approaches, the Buddhist Circuit should be endowed with cutting edge connectivity through various modes of transport, international airports, fast trains, internationally accredited hotels, translation services facilitated by artificial intelligence, sustainable infrastructure, internationally renowned museums, cultural festivals, and community engagement. The Buddhist Circuit must evolve into a civilization circuit wherein history, spirituality, education, and culture blend into one.

Buddhist tourism as an important tool of India’s soft power. The shared Buddhist heritage can help develop cultural ties with Japan, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Myanmar, Vietnam, Mongolia, South Korea, Bhutan, Cambodia, Laos, Singapore, and several other Buddhist-majority nations through cooperation in archaeology, monk-to-monk dialogues, youth programs, academic exchanges, and cultural festivals. 

From an economic perspective, greater Buddhist tourism could completely change the development potential of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and many other states where there are rich Buddhist sites. Inviting several million more pilgrims each year to India could make a real difference for the development of the region and the country as a whole.

The above suggested options should be implemented in phases, with  measures including building of infrastructure, development of IT platforms, air connections, and amenities for tourists to be accorded priority. Longer-term goals would include institutional reforms, building luxury transportation, hotels, and resorts, and international marketing. 

Finally, the long-term strategy would include turning India into the most famous Buddhist pilgrimage site with highest international standards of sustainability, accessibility, and heritage management. The main problem of India is not its heritage, but how to manage, preserve, and promote it properly.

(The author is a professor at School of Buddhist Studies and Civilisation, Gautam Buddha University, Greater Noida, India. The views expressed are personal.)