With the opening of an international airport in Kushinagar on October 20, Uttar Pradesh is expected to witness a boom in the hospitality and tourism sectors which in turn will open job opportunities for the youth of the region.
Experts on this sector opined that on one hand, the airport will provide direct air connectivity with South Asian countries, making it easier for tourists, especially Buddhist pilgrims, to visit the Buddhist circuit in India, while on the other, it will boost tourism and hospitality sectors, opening up job opportunities in plenty for the youths.
Spread over an area of 590 acres, the international airport at Kushinagar boasts of world-class facilities. The eight-storied state-of-the-art Air Traffic Control (ATC) tower built at the cost of Rs 17.5 crore, has become fully operational whereas the navigation system for safe landing and takeoff of flights at the airport has passed the trial successfully. The new international airport boasts of having the state’s largest runway with a length of 3,200 metres and a width of 45 metres.
The Buddhist Circuit in India, including sites located largely in eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, are a big draw for Buddhist pilgrims, particularly from East Asia and South-East Asia. However, the flow of tourists has severely been affected lately due to the coronavirus pandemic. Prominent among the countries from where India receives maximum Buddhist tourists include Sri Lanka, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, China, Bhutan, Nepal, Thailand, and Malaysia.
“With the opening of this airport, travelers from Sri Lanka, Japan, China, Thailand, Taiwan, Singapore, South Korea and Vietnam will be able to easily visit Sarnath, Shravasti, Bodh Gaya, Lumbini, Vaishali, Rajgir, Kesariya, and Sankisa. The inflow of international tourists, as well as outbound tourism, are expected to increase by 15 to 20 per cent in coming years, because of the strategic location of Kushinagar International Airport near Buddhist sites in both Uttar Pradesh and north Bihar,” a top government official said.
“Earlier, the entry point for international Buddhist pilgrims in India was Kolkata, Delhi, Gaya, and Varanasi. Due to lack of air connectivity, it was time taking and most tourists could not even think of completing the Buddhist Circuit in one go. Now, with the opening of Kushinagar airport, foreign tourists and pilgrims can complete their pilgrimage in considerably less time. Besides, it will lead to the growth of tourism in the Purvanchal region, paving way for products of the region to get global recognition,” he said.
According to tourism industry experts, Kushinagar international airport will give a fillip to the development of eastern UP with aviation, tourism and hospitality industries set to boom. As per data of the Bureau of Immigration, Kushinagar received 8.98 lakh, 9.3 lakh, 9.7 lakh, and 10.96 lakh tourists in 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019 respectively. But the footfall dropped to 3.23 lakh in 2020 due to the novel coronavirus pandemic and subsequent lockdown imposed. Similarly, Shravasti received 2.2 lakh, 2.58 lakh, 11.32 lakh, and 12.71 lakh tourists in 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019 respectively, which dipped to a mere 0.17 lakh in 2020.
The data further reveals that India received 3.39 lakh tourists from China, 3.34 lakh from Malaysia, 2.38 lakh from Japan and 1.90 lakh tourists from Singapore, which dropped to 39,586, 69,897, 48,191, and 33,747 in 2020 respectively, due to the pandemic.
