The conference attended by the author seemed to be more of a bureaucratic exercise for the Indian government ministers rather than a substantive discussion on tourism issues. Buddhism could be a promising focus for religious tourism in India, particularly among European intellectual travelers. Key Buddhist sites that could be included in a circuit are Bodhgaya, Dharamsala, Nalanda, Rajgir, Patna, Sarnath, Shravasti, Lumbini, and Kushinagar, with the possibility of staying in monasteries. China is currently the top country for international tourism spending.

1. Dear Jonand John,
I didgo for the conference andmustsayit wasa typical Culture MinistryMandarinsexercise toshow
the Ministerof Governmentof Indiathatwe are alive andneedmore fundstosquandertoachieve
nothing.Nota soul fromTourism, Civil Aviation,Surface transportsectororevenMinistries. The
momentthe Ministerleftnearlyall the Mandarinsleft -50% of the audience. Another50% after
Lunch.
There isa lotof interestinBuddhismasitappealstoanintellectualandCharlesAllen hasmade it
easiertosell inWesternMarketsbyhis books –The Buddhaand the Sahebsand alsoon Ashoka.A
Buddhistcircuitwill appeal toaEuropeanif he is a seekerandmore of an intellectual.Itcanbe
combinedwithavisittothe Dharamsala – abode of the Dalai Lama.
My claimof Chinese beingbigtourismspendersisfortifiedby
http://edition.cnn.com/2013/04/05/travel/china-tourists-spend
Country USD Billions
China 102.0
Germany 83.8
U.S.A. 83.7
U.K. 52.3
Russian federation 42.8
Spreadof Buddhism ismostin China,Taiwan,Japan,Vietnam, Korea,HongKong,Singapore,
Cambodia,Laos,Myanmar, SriLanka–these are goodmarkets.
Bodhgaya
Dharamsala

2. Bodhgaya,Nalanda,Rajgir,Patna,Sarnath,Shravast,Lumbini,Kushinagarare areasthatcan be
covered.One canevenstayin some monasteriesandevenundergomeditationwiththe Monks.
Practical BuddhisminLadakhis anotherconceptwhere peoplestaywithBuddhists/tribals.
Bodhgayahas goodHotelsand sodo Sravasti,Kushinagar, PatnaandSarnath(Varanasi) Lucknow is
anotherbase station.Roadshave improvedalotsince lastcouple of years.
Please alsosee.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/buddhism/ataglance/glance.shtml
http://www.slideshare.net/bugstan/buddhism-for-you-lesson-02what-buddhism-is-
not?from_search=5