Pilgrimage tourism and its spillover

[eagle]

Travel for pilgrimage has been taking place since ancient times. A large number of people have been making pilgrimage to sacred, religious or holy places. This practice is widespread in many parts of the world. In the Christian world, for instance, a visit to Jerusalem or the Vatican is considered to be very auspicious. In the Arab-Muslim world, the pilgrimage to Mecca or some other holy centers is considered to be a great Act of faith.

In India there are many pilgrimage centers and holy places of all the major religions of the world which hosts a large number of pilgrims from all over the world every year. According to the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI), about 3.1 percent of the tourists visited India for making ?pilgrimage?. In short, one can say that today?s tourism combines all the historical factors that motivated people for travel which have accumulated from time immemorial.

The main findings of the Indian Statistical Institute in its tourist survey among foreigners to analyze the percentage distribution of travel motivators reveal the following:

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Purpose of visit Percentage of total
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pleasure 43.0
Business 25.2
Visiting friends and relations 11.2
Study 4.6
Pilgrimage 3.1
Others 12.9
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In Kerala beach resorts especially in Varkala and Trivandrum benefited a lot as because the tourists after a visit to the famous pilgrim centers checked in to these resorts for rest and recreation. It helped them to break even during the off season.