NEW DELHI, Oct 4: Union Minister of State for Tourism Ajay Bhatt on Monday flagged off the ‘Buddhist Circuit Train FAM Tour’ from Safdarjung railway station and appealed to people to explore Indian destinations first before visiting global tourist spots.
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 pandemic hid India.
“The country is now ready to host tourists,” an official said.
“IRCTC expects to restart the Buddhist Circuit special train as soon as travel restrictions for foreigner tourists, in particular, normalise,” senior officials present in the tour 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.
According to a statement by the Ministry of Tourism, in collaboration with various Central ministries and Bihar and Uttar Pradesh governments, it is developing a Buddhist circuit.
“Major verticals of developments under the Buddhist circuit are connectivity, infrastructure and logistics, cultural research, heritage and education, public awareness, communication and outreach,” the statement said. (PTI)
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