HOLY LANDS: SCOPING THE NEXUS BETWEEN HERITAGE, PILGRIMAGE AND DIASPORA IN INDIA

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Pilgrimage is recognized as one of the fastest growing motivations for travel globally, with more than 600 million 'spiritual voyages' undertaken annually, with half of these occurring within Asia. 'Spiritual Voyages' include local and regional pilgrimages, but also large-scale gatherings, including the Kumbh Mela, which had an estimated 120 million devotees in 2019. While tourism among diaspora communities was encouraged through the 'Incredible India' Program (USAID 2010), diasporas occupy a complex ground between international and local tourism/pilgrimage. Indeed, in India, diasporas have yet to have their socioeconomic impact recorded or benchmarked. This is a particular challenge as diaspora communities are not recorded separately in current Indian government tourist metrics and statistics (Ministry of Tourism Report, Government of India 2018). Such assessments are critical as diaspora pilgrims/tourists are less likely to utilise the same businesses/hotels/restaurants/travel companies as international tourists (USAID 2010). They may also have distinct impacts on economies that are not yet being recognized in traditional measures. For example, it has been asserted that while diaspora may not spend as much money as foreign tourists, their expenditures are potentially more likely to go directly towards local producers and businesses, which may in turn have greater social and economic benefits for local resident communities (USAID 2010). Recording and benchmarking this impact is key as it has been identified that the benefits of large-scale infrastructure projects and initiatives to promote international pilgrimage and tourism within Asia have been restricted, and often do not reach as many resident communities associated with cultural heritage sites as originally envisaged (Coningham and Lewer 2019). To bridge this conceptual and quantitative gap, an expert research network of academics and practitioners will develop a north-south-south partnership to identify the potential socio-economic impacts of diaspora tourism and pilgrimage for sustainable and inclusive development, as well as enhanced protection of cultural heritage. Whilst recent projects have begun to address how the collection of data on social and economic impacts of pilgrims and tourists at major pilgrimage sites can identify socio-economic benefits, the network and its shared toolkit will build on this legacy by developing a framework to scope and identify the potential impacts of diaspora communities at heritage sites. This will be based on relevant economic indicators, such as income, employment and business opportunities, and social indicators, such as education level, social cohesion, capacity strengthening, improvement of infrastructure and services. This will be achieved through the scoping of available quantitative data, such as questionnaires of diaspora visitors, local residents and local businesses including tour operators; visitor book data; site management records, as well as qualitative data, such as semi-structured interviews with site managers, community stakeholders. The network will thus scope gaps and develop a method for identifying and assessing this data, and providing a benchmark that can then be developed into long-term monitoring of the impacts of diaspora communities. Focusing on sites that are under the jurisdiction of the Archaeological Survey of India in Gujarat, Kerala and Uttar Pradesh, the team will undertake its initial scoping activities at major religious traditions of Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Judaism and Christianity, in addition to other religious groups and communities who utilize these sites.