Published on : Wednesday, February 13, 2019
Home to an estimated 156 million Buddhists, South-east Asia is “replete with Buddhist religious activities, ceremonies and festivals”, as well as “many cultural, architectural and historical monuments and relics”, said Victor Wee, the secretary-general of ASEAN Tourism Research Association (ATRA), which comprises 16 public and private universities in South-east Asia.
Wee said that it needs to be seen how Buddhist sites and relics across the region could be used for developing and promoting tourism centred on Buddhism.
These findings were part of an ongoing study on Buddhist tourism on eight countries in South-east Asia – with the exception of Brunei and the Philippines. It was presented by ATRA to South-east Asian NTOs at ATF in Halong Bay last week. The complete findings would be published later this year.
The study also came up with destination management strategies at iconic sites for relieving congestion and improving sustainability regarding tourism dispersal strategies, carrying capacity and management of visitor impacts.
Wee added that the study will be part of the UNWTO study on Buddhist tourism in Asia, adding to the growing religious tourism research that the global tourism body has carried on in the region.
Tags: Buddhist Tourism