- SUBMITTED TO PROF. SHWETA KISHORE- RISHAB GUPTA- ITM NAVI MUMBAI

OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT

RELIGIOUS TOURISM

ISSUES, SOLUTIONS AND CASE STUDY

Religious Tourism also known as faith tourism, is a type of tourism, where people travel individually or in groups for pilgrimage, missionary, or leisure purposes.

Religious tourism has a big future in India. India is richly endowed with ancient temples and religious festivals. Religions originating in India, be it Hinduism, Sikhism, Jainism, Buddhism, have a vibrant culture and spiritual philosophy. Together they present a viable, alternative way of life as compared to materialism and confrontation prevalent in the West.

WHAT IS IT?

Tourism in any region needs to be regulated to prevent the negative impacts. Major problems include-:1. Infringement of carrying capacity- Most religious centres in

the country, major or minor, suffer from short but intense seasons that alter the dynamics of the region for the rest of the year.

2. Waste Management- In part a derivative of the problem of carrying capacity, management problem has aggravated as science and technology grew to usher us into the ‘era of plastic’

3. Air Pollution- The sheer volume of travel in this niche makes the figure mind boggling. While trains still manage to absorb a majority of travel volume, quite a major religious tourism sites in India are still accessible by road or foot only.

ISSUES..!!!

CONTD.

4. Monetizing Religion- In the race for developing as many niches as possible, there is often the issue of religion being monetized, as the host community gets increasingly driven by the profit motive.5. Lack of scrutiny of religious trusts- There is a need to put forward regulations which governs the financial status and regulations of religious trusts as it looks to allay global concerns about money laundering and terrorist financial activities.

SOLUTIONS TO THE PROBLEM

Developing religious tourism circuits through a hub model Providing the tourists with a holistic tourism experience. Developing integrated infrastructure for religious tourism

development. Scrutiny of religious trusts. Pricing of religious tourism products. Improving connectivity to specific religious tourism circuits to

promote them.

CASE STUDY....!!!!!!

OBJECTIVES

To study the motives of domestic tourists behind visiting Shree

Siddhivinayak Ganapati Mandir and Haji Ali To study the experience of domestic tourists visiting Shree

Siddhivinayak Ganapati Mandir and Haji Ali

STUDY AREAS

This is Shree Siddhivinayak Ganapati Temple at Prabhadevi in Mumbai, a

two-century-old Temple that fulfills the desires of the worshipers. The city of Mumbai is a mute witness to places of worship & historical

interest, which are not only popular but also of archaeological importance. Arguably the most popular & significant places of worship are the Shree

Siddhivinayak Ganapati Mandir situated at Prabhadevi. This temple was first consecrated on Thursday 19th November 1801.

The outstanding feature of this deity is the tilt of the trunk to the right side. The idol has four hands (Chaturbhuj), which contains a lotus in upper right, a small axe in upper left, holy beads in the lower right and a bowl full of Modaks (a delicacy which is a perennial favorite with Shree Siddhivinayak).

ONE MORE STUDY AREA: One of the top 10 attractions in Mumbai, the imposing Haji Ali is both

a mosque and tomb. It was built in 1431 by wealthy Muslim merchant and Sufi saint Pir Haji Ali Shah Bukhari, who was inspired to change the course of his life after going to Mecca. It also contains his body. Situated in the middle of the ocean, Haji Ali is only accessible during low tide from a narrow, 500 yard long walkway. On Thursdays and Fridays tens of thousands of pilgrims flock there to receive blessings from the dead saint.

If find you need to pass some time until the tide lowers enough, there's a shopping center on the opposite side of the road.

Where: Central south Mumbai, just off the coast of Worli, not far from Mahalaxmi railway station.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

All the domestic tourists visiting Shree Siddhivinayak Ganapati Mandir and Haji Ali were considered as the universe and the sample unit for the research included any individual tourist visiting for spirituality.

The tourists were interviewed on streets,near byreataurants etc. We prepared questionnaires having 6 questions of both the

places with multiple choice questions and with open ended questions.

Personal interviews were conducted to the tourists to understandits flow at the role of spirituality in all tourists flow at Shree Siddhivinayak Ganapati Mandir and Haji Ali

Secondary data were collected from internet.

RESEARCH FINDINGS

It shows that respondents by gender were almost equally represented among first timers as compared to repeaters.first timers were relatively younger and earned comparatively lower incomes.

Travel patterns of respondents,and it is clear almost three quarters of both groups visited these sites for pilgrimage purpose.

Word of mouth was highly used by both and repeaters tented to rely on their past experiences as one their information source.

CONCLUSION

This case study concludes that there is a continuum of spirituality inherent in tourism though it is related to tourists experiences.

Various policies should be made to encourage the tourists from various parts of the globe

Indian tourism should utilize the internet facility and create awareness among the people about religious tourism.

The government sector need to work earnestly with a commitment to develop and sustain the religious tourism spots.