Pilgrimage tourism in Uttarakhand Himalaya: Pilgrims’ inflows and trends

Year 2023, Volume: 8 Issue: 2, 109 - 117, 15.12.2023

Vishwambhar Prasad Sati

https://doi.org/10.31822/jomat.2023-8-2-109

Abstract

This article aims to describe pilgrimage tourism in the Uttarakhand Himalaya: pilgrims’ inflows and trends. Pilgrimages – highlands and valleys are the main centers of spiritual tourism in the Uttarakhand Himalaya. Data on pilgrims’ inflow in the major pilgrimage centers from 2000 to 2018 were gathered from the Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board, Dehradun. The pilgrims from Indian subcontinents and abroad have been visiting the pilgrimage centers for time immemorial. Inflows of pilgrims in the pilgrimage centers vary from the river valley pilgrimages to the highland pilgrimages. Haridwar, a valley pilgrimage, receives the highest inflow of pilgrims, which is more than 50% of the total pilgrims’ inflows. Meanwhile, Yamunotri, a highland pilgrimage has the lowest inflow of pilgrims from within and outside countries. The main reason for the change in the number of pilgrims in these highland and valley pilgrimages was the availability of infrastructural facilities in the form of transportation and accommodation. In terms of the trends of pilgrims’ inflows during the period, it is not uniform. The state of Uttarakhand is highly vulnerable to climate-induced calamities, which are highly catastrophic, and leads to land degradation and roadblocks. The pilgrimage season in the Himalaya falls during the monsoon season when happy rainfall occurs. High rainfall variability has led to changing the number of pilgrims. This study reveals that pilgrimage tourism has immense potential for the economic development of the Uttarakhand Himalaya if suitable tourism infrastructural facilities are provided.

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Keywords

Inflows, Trends, Pilgrimage tourism, Highland pilgrimage, Valley pilgrimage, Uttarakhand Himalaya

Uttarakhand Himalaya的朝圣旅游： 朝圣者的流入和趋势

Abstract

本文旨在描述北阿坎德邦喜马拉雅地区的朝圣旅游：朝圣者的流入和趋势。朝圣地--高原和山谷是北阿坎德邦喜马拉雅地区精神旅游的主要中心。2000年至2018年主要朝圣中心的朝圣者流入数据是从德拉敦的北阿坎德邦旅游发展委员会那里收集的。自古以来，来自印度次大陆和国外的朝圣者一直在朝圣中心访问。朝圣中心的朝圣者人数从河谷朝圣到高原朝圣不等。河谷朝圣地哈里瓦（Haridwar）的朝圣者流入量最大，占朝圣者总流入量的50%以上。同时，作为高原朝圣地的亚穆诺特里（Yamunotri）从国内和国外流入的朝圣者人数最少。这些高原和山谷朝圣地的朝圣者数量变化的主要原因是交通和住宿等基础设施的可用性。从这一时期朝圣者流入的趋势来看，并不统一。北阿坎德邦极易受到气候引起的灾难的影响，这些灾难具有很强的灾难性，并导致土地退化和道路堵塞。喜马拉雅山的朝圣季节是在季风季节，这时会出现快乐的降雨。降雨量的高变化性导致了朝圣者数量的改变。这项研究显示，如果提供合适的旅游基础设施，朝圣旅游对北阿坎德邦喜马拉雅地区的经济发展具有巨大的潜力。

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