Impacts of religious tourism at Sikh pilgrim center of
Amritsar, India
by
Samreet Kaur
Impacts of religious tourism at Sikh pilgrim center of Amritsar, India
Impacts of religious tourism at Sikh pilgrim center of Amritsar, India
By Samreet Kaur
Presented as part of the requirement for the degree of Master of Arts in
Sustainable Leisure Management within the Department of Recreation and Tourism
Management at Vancouver Island University August 2020
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Impacts of religious tourism at Sikh pilgrim center of Amritsar, India
DECLARATION
This thesis is a product of my own work and is not the result of anything done in collaboration.
______________________________________
Student Signature
I agree that this thesis may be available for reference and photocopying, at the discretion of
Vancouver Island University.
_______________________________________
Samreet Kaur
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Impacts of religious tourism at Sikh pilgrim center of Amritsar, India
THESIS EXAMINATION COMMITTEE SIGNATURE PAGE
The undersigned certify that they have read, and recommend to the Department of Recreation &
Tourism Management for acceptance, the thesis titled ..Impacts ofreligious tourism at Sikh pilgrim
center ofAmritsar, India" submitted by Samreet Kaur in partial fulfillment of the requirements for
the degree of Master of Arts in Sustainable Leisure Management.
-
JobnPredyk
Supervisor
Professor, Recreation & Tourism
Vancouver Island University, Nanaimo
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Dr. Kiran Sbinde·
Co-Supervisor
Senior Lecturer, Urban Planning
La Trobe University, Australia
External Examiner
Grande Valley State University (USA)
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Impacts of religious tourism at Sikh pilgrim center of Amritsar, India
ABSTRACT
Religious tourism is a promising type of tourism for income generation for local
communities and to preserve the cultural heritage, but still, it considered as one of the least
explored types of tourism in Punjab despite its vast resources and opportunities. At the same
time, numerous studies examined how religious tourism impacts on destinations and how
residents view tourism in the context of Hinduism, Jainism, Islam, and Buddhism pilgrimage.
There is a paucity of studies looking specifically at how religious tourism and tourists affect
residents living in “holy or sacred” destinations in the context of the Sikh pilgrimage.
This study aims to contribute to the understanding of the impacts of religious tourism in
Amritsar, which has the Golden Temple, the most sacred place for Sikhs, with the help of
secondary data. The findings of the study revealed that most local people are welcome religious
tourists to the Amritsar and perceive the economic and socio-cultural impacts as positive. On the
other hand, they are worried about the environmental impacts because they are facing
some problems such as overcrowding, congestion, and pollution in Amritsar. Furthermore, the
study found that few agencies were working in Amritsar to reduce environmental impacts.
Overall, there is strong evidence that economic considerations override other concerns by locals.
The paper suggests management and development strategies to make a balance in
different impacts to achieve sustainable development of Religious tourism in Amritsar.
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Impacts of religious tourism at Sikh pilgrim center of Amritsar, India
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
First and foremost, I would like to thank “God Almighty” for giving me the strength,
knowledge, ability, and opportunity to undertake this research study and complete it. Without his
blessings, this achievement would not have been possible.
Further, I feel much indebted to many people who have instructed and favored me while
writing this paper. I would like to express my sincere heartfelt thanks to my supervisor, “John
Predyk” and my co-supervisor, “Dr. Kiran Shinde” who have given me constant help. Thank you
both for listening to my ideas about the thesis and guiding me during the process of this research.
Thank you for reading my drafts with great care, providing meaningful literature that enriched
and broadened my knowledge, and gave me insightful reviews. Without your enlightened
instructions, encouragement, and patience, I could not have completed my thesis. My thanks also
go to all the teachers who have taught me during Sustainable Leisure Management and special
thanks to, “Joanne Schroeder,” for always present to help.
Last but not least, my most profound appreciation should go to my mother, “Rupinder
Kaur,” my father, “Karam Singh,” and my younger brother, “Taranpreet Singh” who have been
pouring out their care, support, and encouragement to me during this master’s journey in Canada.
I would like to thank my loving future hubby, “Sinder Singh,” for always encouraging me to
accomplish this study. I thank my family for giving me endless love and support. I also extend
my sincere thanks to all my friends, who were out there to help me directly or indirectly in many
ways.
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Impacts of religious tourism at Sikh pilgrim center of Amritsar, India
LIST OF TABLES
Table.1 Reports, schemes, and documents………………………………………………….32-36
Table. 2 Year-wise Tourist visits in Amritsar and Punjab……………………………………...39
Table. 3 Major hotels, along with the number of rooms available in Amritsar………………...46
Table. 4: Pilgrim accommodation provided by SGPC………………………………………….47
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure. 1 District of Punjab…………………………………………………………………….12
Figure. 2 The Golden Temple, Amritsar……………………………………………………….15
Figure. 3 A framework to analyze impacts of Religious……………………………………….29
Figure. 4 Craft by Thatheras in Jandiala Guru- Amritsar………………………………………58
Figure. 5 Ban on photography draws flak, SGPC justifies decision……………………………62
Figure. 6 Art conservation of Sri Harmandir Sahib Ji………………………………………….66
Figure. 7 Art conservation of Sri Harmandir Sahib Ji………………………………………….66
Figure. 8 People from all over the world, especially
“Sikhs" visit Golden temple at least once in their lifetime…………………………………….68
Figure. 9 Devotees queue up at the Golden Temple in Amritsar……………………………….69
Figure. 10 Green Nagar Kirtan to Mark the
1st Parkash Purab of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji…………………………………………………74
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Impacts of religious tourism at Sikh pilgrim center of Amritsar, India
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER 1 Introduction…………………………………………………………………….9
1.1 Background……………………………………………………………………………….9-10
1.2 The context of the study………………………………………………………………...10-12
1.3 Study Area……………………………………………………………………………....12-15
1.4 Issues…………………………………………………………………………………....15-16
CHAPTER 2 Literature Review……………………………………………………………...18
2.1 Religious Tourism………………………………………………………………………18-19
2.2 Importance of Religious tourism…………………………………………………………...20
2.3 Impacts of Religious Tourism………………………………………………………………21
2.3.1 Economic Impacts…………………………………………………………………….22-23
2.3.2 Socio-culture impacts…………………………………………………………………24-25
2.3.3 Environmental impacts……………………………………………………………….25-27
2.4 Research gap(s)…………………………………………………………………………….27
2.5 Conceptual Framework…………………………………………………………………28-29
CHAPTER 3 Methodology…………………………………………………………………...30
3.1 Secondary Data………………………………………………………………………….30-31
3.2 Study Setting……………………………………………………………………………….31
3.3 Data Collection………………………………………………………………………….32-36
3.4 Data Analysis……………………………………………………………………………….37
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Impacts of religious tourism at Sikh pilgrim center of Amritsar, India
CHAPTER 4 Findings………………………………………………………………………...38
4.1 Current scenario of religious tourism in Amritsar………………………………………38-41
4.2 Economic Impacts………………………………………………………………………41-56
4.3 Socio-cultural Impacts………………………………………………………………….56-62
4.4 Environmental Impacts………………………………………………………………….62-70
4.5 Managing impacts of religious tourism…………………………………………………71-76
CHAPTER 5 Discussion………………………………………………………………………77
5.1 Key findings…………………………………………………………………………….77-81
5.2 Limitations………………………………………………………………………………82-83
5.3 Suggestions……………………………………………………………………………...83-84
5.4 Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………84-85
References………………………………………………………………………………...86-103
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Impacts of religious tourism at Sikh pilgrim center of Amritsar, India
Chapter 1
Introduction
1.1 Background
Religious tourism refers to contemporary patterns of travel to sacred sites that has its roots
in the traditional practice of pilgrimage and where people can fulfil both religious and
recreational needs (Shinde, 2010; 2015). It is a fast-growing sector within the tourism industry
that generates massive revenue due to its mass tourism nature (Ojo, & Busayo, 2017; Vijayanad,
2009; Fourie, Rossello, & Santana‐Gallego, 2015). According to UNWTO, every year, 300 to
330 million tourists visit the world´s key religious sites, 60% of which take place in Asia (Shinde
& Rizello, 2014).
India has different forms of tourism, but Religious tourism is regarded as the most
common form of tourism. UNWTO estimates that around 170 million tourists visit more than
2,000 religious’ sites in India. Out of a hundred 95 percent of tourists are domestic tourists
(Shinde, 2015). One of the reasons being, within the country, individuals possess the strong
religious belief that if they made visits to certain religious places, their aspirations would get
fulfilled, obtain forgiveness of sins, and pray or seek a cure for the disease (Shinde, 2010).
Religion in India is specified by a diversity of religious beliefs and practices (Fourie
et al., 2015; Shinde, 2015). India is the birthplace of four great religions, namely, Hindu,
Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism (Mishra, & Jharkhariya, 2013; Fourie et al., 2015). All the
religions have their major and minor religious centers in different parts of the country
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Impacts of religious tourism at Sikh pilgrim center of Amritsar, India
(Vijayanad, 2012), and with changing times, these religious places have become a site for
tourism, rather than a mere pilgrimage, for example, Buddhist shrines at Sarnath, Varanasi, the
churches of Goa and the churches of Tamil (Singh, 2004).
In the context of tourism, many studies have focused on several pilgrim-sites in India
such as towns along Ganga river, Shirdi, Tirupati, Vaishno Devi and Mathura (Kuthiala, 2001;
Gupta, & Raina, 2008; Kumar, 2009; Karthi, Devi, & Daisy, 2012; Shinde, & Rizello, 2014;
Kumar, & Singh, 2015; Shinde, 2015; 2018; Joseph et al., 2019), but there are only a handful
studies about Amritsar - the holiest sites for Sikh followers Amritsar is situated in the north
Indian state of Punjab (Chaudhary, & Aggarwal, 2012; Jutla, 2016; Chakrabarty, 2018).
Today, religious tourism is a promising type of tourism for income generation for local
communities and to preserve the cultural heritage, but still, it is considered as one of the least
explored types of tourism in Punjab despite its vast resources and opportunities. This study aims
to contribute to the understanding of religious tourism in Amritsar, which has the Golden
Temple, the most sacred place for Sikhs.
1.2 The context of the study
Punjab has attractive heritage sites and religious places, which attract both domestic and
foreign tourists and has remarkable potential for becoming a major global tourist destination
(Punjab Tourism Policy, 2003; Punjab Haryana & Delhi Chamber of Commerce and Industry
(PHDCCI), 2011). In Punjab, tourism is primarily religious, but cultural, eco-tourism, and rural
tourism are also emerging (Chaudhary, 2016; PHDCCI, 2011).
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Impacts of religious tourism at Sikh pilgrim center of Amritsar, India
Punjab's position in tourism has improved significantly in recent years, with the overall
tourist inflow in the State growing at an impressive rate of 29.5% between 2010 and 2018.
However, the tourism sector in Punjab is driven mainly by domestic tourists from within and
outside the state. During 2017, Punjab attained 11th position at the national level in terms of
domestic tourist visits (Ministry of Tourism, 2018). The number of domestic tourist visits in
Punjab is almost doubled in three years, from 24.27 million in 2013-14 to 40.29 million in 20162017 (Ministry of Tourism, Government of India 2014; 2018).
Moreover, the development in the sector is supported by investments from the State
Government and assistance provided by Asian Development Bank through Infrastructure
Development Investment Program for Tourism (IDIPT) project (Punjab State Tourism Policy,
2018). The development of infrastructure for tourists has tremendous potential for income and
employment generation. The tourism policies implemented by the State are focused on a similar
Investment in tourism has led to the development of the sector with an expansion in both
domestic and foreign tourists (Economic and Statistical Organization, Department of Planning,
Government of Punjab (ESOPB), 2020).
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Impacts of religious tourism at Sikh pilgrim center of Amritsar, India
Figure. 1 District of Punjab (Government of Punjab, 2020)
1.3 Study Area
One of the main attractions in Punjab is the Golden Temple at Amritsar, which is popular
among domestic and international tourists. Amritsar is the second largest and one of the fastestgrowing cities of Punjab (Punjab Urban Planning & Development Authority (PUDA), 2012).
Amritsar attracts many tourists, as it has many religious, cultural, and historical places. The city
is situated 217 km northwest of state capital Chandigarh and 455 km northwest of New Delhi,
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Impacts of religious tourism at Sikh pilgrim center of Amritsar, India
the national capital. It is near to Pakistan, with the Wagah Border being only 28 km away
(PUDA, 2012).
Amritsar, historically known as Ramdaspur and colloquially as Ambarsar, was
founded by Sri Guru Ramdass Ji, the 4th Guru of the Sikhs in about 1574 A.D. Before its
establishment, this place was covered with thick forests and had a few lakes. To begin the city,
Guru Ramdass invited 52 traders from different places nearby like Patti and Kasur to settle here.
The traders came with their families and started the first 32 shops (these are still present in the
core part of the city and are called Batisi Hatta (PUDA, 2012; Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak
Committee, (SGPC), 2020; Chakrabarty, 2018; Government of Punjab Tourism, 2016).
In 1577, Guru Ram Das Sahib began the construction of the Amritsar Sarovar (tank),
which was ready by 1581. Guru Arjan Sahib laid the foundation of the Darbar Sahib on January
3, 1589. Sri Hari Mandir Sahib was completed in 1604. Later, when Guru Arjan Dev completed
the writing of Holy Granth sahib, a copy of Guru Granth Sahib was ceremonially installed in
Harmandir Sahib and Baba Buddha Sahib was appointed the first Granthi (priest) (PUDA, 2012;
SGPC, 2020; Chakrabarty, 2018; Government of Punjab Tourism, 2016). Since then, the temple
called the Golden temple developed as a significant place of worship for Sikhs. However, during
the Mughal period, Hari Mandir Sahib was attacked several times (1628-1765), and after every
attack, Sikhs reconstructed the Darbar Sahib and improved on its art and architecture
(Chakrabarty, 2018).
The city was established and grew around the Golden Temple is popularly known as
“Amritsar, sifti da ghar.” This means the “house of praise” that is, “the place (Golden Temple)
where the Absolute (God) praised through the continuous singing of sacred music.” The city of
Amritsar is named after the Golden Temple Sarovar. Amrit means nectar of immortality, and Sar
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Impacts of religious tourism at Sikh pilgrim center of Amritsar, India
or Sarovar means pond. In short, Amritsar means ‘the pond of nectar,’ the same surrounding the
Golden Temple. The temple, with its glistening gold, the covered exterior stands in the middle of
a square water tank with each side about 150 meters (m) with an 18 meters path on all four sides.
(PUDA, 2012; Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, (SGPC), 2020; Government of
Punjab Tourism, 2016).
The Golden Temple has four entrances doors, known as the Door of Peace, the Door of
Livelihood, the Door of Learning, and the Door of Grace. These doors are a symbol that Sikhs
believe in a non-sexist, non-racist society where all people of all casts, religions are equally
welcome (Sikhs.Org., 2011). Moreover, the Golden temple has the most extensive free
community kitchen, which serves free meals to all people of all faiths. The founder of the Sikh
religion, Shri Guru Nanak, first started this service which outlines the basic Sikh principles of
service, humility, and equality (Sikhs.Org., 2011).
The temple is over 400 years old and situated in a walled city along with the historic
Jallianwala Bagh. The walled city is the historical center, which is 2 kilometres from the railway
station located at the Grand Trunk road while the airport is located 11 kilometres away. The city
of Amritsar and its Golden Temple are together a symbol of Sikh history and spiritual tradition.
Amritsar is a landlocked city that experiences extreme weather conditions. The period between
October to March is the most suitable for a visit. Most of the Sikh festivals fall during this
period, such as Baisakhi, Diwali, Hola Mohalla, and Gurupurabs (PUDA, 2012).
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Impacts of religious tourism at Sikh pilgrim center of Amritsar, India
Figure. 2 The Golden Temple, Amritsar (Government of Punjab, 2016)
1.4 Issues
In recent years, tourism has shown exponential growth in Punjab. Amritsar is an
established tourist centre, but it is not without problems (PUDA, 2012). Several problems have
been observed in recent years. For instance, pollution in the state is a big problem (Kichloo,
2019). According to the World Health Organization reports, Amritsar a northwestern state of
Punjab, India has been ranked among the 30 most polluted cities in the world in terms of delicate
particulate matter (PM 2.5) levels in the air ( Kumar, 2015), which not only effects the heritage
places but also effects on the development of tourism (UNESCO,2007). The other most visible
problem is poor waste management (PUDA, 2012).
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Impacts of religious tourism at Sikh pilgrim center of Amritsar, India
However, the increasing number of tourists (Kichloo, 2019), mushrooming hotels
around the Golden temple, and have become a severe threat to the gold-plated temple, which is
almost 400 years old (PUDA, 2012: Chaudhary, & Aggarwal, 2012). The other issue is of safety
and security because Punjab is only 28 km away from the international border with Pakistan
border (PHDCCI, 2011; Malhotra, 2015), The relationship between India and Pakistan have been
involved and largely hostile due to several historical and political events. There are chances of
political unrest which adversely affect the sentiments of domestic and foreign tourists
(Sallahuddin, & Abdul, 2017).
The most significant problem is lack of cleanliness and hygiene in already
inadequate basic amenities like toilet facilities, drinking water and dining places at Amritsar
(Malhotra, 2015). There are hardly any facilities for the disabled or families with young children,
not even wheelchairs (Punjab Tourism Policy, 2018). Even at railway stations, bus stands, malls
and tourist places, the elderly and disabled are not at all facilitated; therefore, their movement at
these places is restricted (Sharma, Kumar, & Singh, 2013). As a city, however, Amritsar has an
excellent infrastructure in terms of communication, banking, medical, and educational facilities
(PUDA, 2012; PHDCCI, 2011).
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Impacts of religious tourism at Sikh pilgrim center of Amritsar, India
The Purpose of the study
This study aims to contribute to the understanding of the impacts of religious tourism
around the Golden Temple in the city of Amritsar, Punjab state, Northwestern India, with the
help of secondary data.
Research Questions
The following research questions were used in this study:
1. What are the economic impacts of religious tourism around the Golden Temple and in the city
of Amritsar?
2. What are the socio-cultural impacts of religious tourism in Amritsar?
3. What are the environmental impacts of increasing numbers of visitors in Amritsar?
The remaining thesis document is organized into four chapters. The next chapter provides
a review of the literature on religious tourism and its impacts to arrive at a conceptual framework
to then investigate the situation, specifically in Amritsar. Chapter 3 outlines the research
methodology, paradigm, and data collection methods. Chapter 4 presents the results around three
areas: economic impacts, socio-cultural impacts, and environmental impacts of religious tourism
in Amritsar. The final chapter positions the results found from Amritsar with the broader
literature around Sikh pilgrimage centers and sites belonging to other faiths in India.
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Impacts of religious tourism at Sikh pilgrim center of Amritsar, India
Chapter 2
Literature review
This literature review aims to generate awareness, understanding, and interest in
studies that have explored a given topic in the past. This chapter defines the current level of
knowledge about the theoretical and conceptual research on tourism, religion, religious tourism,
and different impacts of religious tourism. Furthermore, it will identify the research gap and
develop a conceptual framework from the key concepts in the literature to answer the research
questions.
2.1 Religious tourism
To define the religious journey, it is essential first to understand what religion is
and how it is used in the practice of pilgrimage and journey. Religion outlined by Heidari et al.
(2018) as a system of belief in a higher being with great faith and devotion. There is a universal
belief in a superior being to all religions. According to Kumar & Singh, religion can be
understood as a total of all views that include supernatural beliefs (2015).
There are many benefits to promoting religious tourism. Religious tourism is a means to link
together people with different religions and cultures and helps to better understand each other
despite political and social stresses (Heidari et al., 2018). Religious tourism helps to promote
peace and stability in developing countries (Kuthiala, 2001) like India by providing jobs,
generating income, (Fourie et al., 2015), diversifying the economy protecting the environment,
and promoting cross-cultural awareness (Karthi et al., 2012).
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Impacts of religious tourism at Sikh pilgrim center of Amritsar, India
According to the world tourism organization, religion provides one of the main
motivations to travel. It has two forms: short-term and long-term (Vijayanad, 2013; Shinde &
Rizello, 2014). Excursions distinguish short-term religious tourism to nearby pilgrimage centers
or religious conferences, and it is often a day trip. The long-term describes visits of several days
or weeks to national and international pilgrimage sites (Vijayanad, 2013; Shinde et al., 2014).
There are two separate aspects of religious tourism, one of them is the religious
belief of the domestic and foreign tourists, who have a spiritual attachment to the destination or
deity according to their religious beliefs (Shinde 2007). For example, Sikhism is Indigenous
religion for people of Punjab because Sikhs reside in Punjab from generations, and they possess
a unique cultural and social identity (Sikhs.Org,2011). The other aspect is the domestic and
foreign tourists, who have a different religion and come from a different country or region,
whom the religious practices and the destination have the dimension of originality, a spiritual
experience distinct from their own, even though the ethical values are continuing to be the same
(Shinde 2007). For example, Shinde (2015) argues that most of the religions have similar norms
which teaches respect, forgiveness, and equality but in different ways. These teachings increase
humanity, peace, and cultural awareness (Karthi, Devi, & Daisy, 2012).
However, religious tourism is not easy to define. In the tourism literature, it is often
categorized in different ways by different authors, with religious tourism, pilgrimage tourism,
cultural tourism, cultural heritage tourism and spiritual tourism often used interchangeably.
Cultural tourism and religious tourism, although it can be defined differently, are always linked
with one another as religion is a part of the culture (Tripathi, Choudhary, & Agrawal, 2010).
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Impacts of religious tourism at Sikh pilgrim center of Amritsar, India
2.2 Importance of Religious tourism
The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) is evident in its enthusiasm for
religious tourism, with Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai, suggesting that religious tourism can be
one of the most effective tools to foster inclusive and sustainable development. In so doing, three
main benefits of religious tourism are below:
➢ Religious tourism raises awareness of humanity’s common heritage, and provides
resources for preservation, for example, religious terms and as a source of public
education, identity and pride (Kuthiala, 2001; Mishra, & Jharkhariya, 2013; Tomer, &
Arora, 2012).
➢ It can contribute to local development and empowerment. When tourists meet and show
interest in the unique values of local communities, these communities feel empowered.
Tourism helps them to take pride in themselves, in their history, traditions and
environment (Karthi, et al., 2012; Kumar, 2009; Shinde, 2007).
➢ It builds cultural understanding and peace. Tourism breaks down cultural barriers and
builds bridges between people, communities and nations, the very foundation of peace.
Religious tourism attracts millions of people united in respect and reverence for the
world’s great religions. These are the very same values needed for cross-cultural
understanding and peacebuilding (Kuthiala, 2001; Karthi et al., 2012).
➢ Moreover, people perform different activities during religious trips, which also increase
the importance of religious tourism such as religious festivals like Gurupurabs, Vaisakhi,
Diwali, Navratri, and ceremonies like marriage, naming of a child, and funeral (PUDA,
2012; Sikhs.Org, 2011). For example, The Kumbh Mela (a Hindu festival), which takes
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Impacts of religious tourism at Sikh pilgrim center of Amritsar, India
place every twelve years at Allahabad, is considered the most significant religious
gathering in the world. In 2013, the Kumbh Mela drew 80 to 100 million pilgrims to
Allahabad (Jutla, 2016).
2.3 Impacts of Religious Tourism
Religious tourism has impacts like other forms of tourism, including the economic
impact on the local community as well as socio-cultural and environmental implications
(Anabestani, & Rajabi, 2014). Particularly, when it is associated with small communities, the
impact of religious tourism upon the economy should not be underestimated (Egresi, Kara, &
Bayram, 2012). According to Kumar et al., (2008), the economic benefits associated with
religious tourism are higher than those associated with other segments, as pilgrims and other
religious tourists are avid buyers of religious souvenirs. The benefits associated with the
development of religious tourism is not only economic. It also offers the opportunity to reduce
tensions and prejudices, encourage changes in attitudes and bridge the gap between different
cultures through contact with other cultures (Vijayanad, 2014; Karthi et al., 2012). Moreover,
religious tourism development can enhance the maintenance and preservation of cultural heritage
(Vansiya & Ragothaman, 2012).
Gupta, & Raina mentioned that religious heritage sites drive not only international
tourism and economic growth (2008) but also provide essential meeting grounds for visitors and
host communities, making vital contributions to tolerance, respect and mutual understanding
between different cultures (Karthi et al., 2012; Shinde, 2015).
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Impacts of religious tourism at Sikh pilgrim center of Amritsar, India
2.3.1 Economic Impacts
The economic impact of tourism has been commonly being viewed as a positive,
contributing to employment, better services, and social stability (Kumar, 2013; Karthi et al.,
2012). According to Kuthiala, first and most visible economic impact of religious tourism is job
creation (2001), through the visits to the religious site and the visitor’s contact with the religious
institutions (Tomer, & Arora, 2012). However, apart from the religious institutions, holy sites are
often surrounded by religiously oriented businesses and facilities, such as souvenir shops, travel
agencies, hotels and even hospitals, employing the host community (Gupta, & Raina, 2008). In
particular, the sale of religious items and local things, for example, sacred water, icons, sweaters,
shawls, and blankets (Karar, 2010) brings in considerable revenue.
Karar claims that “Religious tourism generates revenue in a way like no other kind of
tourism does” (2010, p.99). In India, religious tourism accounts for 21 million jobs in terms of
employment generation, which is about 8.9% of total employment in the country (Ojo, &
Busayo, 2017). Moreover, Global statistics reported that about 23.3% of the total foreign
exchange earnings in India are from religious tourism (Ojo et al., 2017). For example, in
Haridwar- a Hindu pilgrim-town in north India, religious tourism provides the most important
sources of income as pilgrims and tourists use hotels, various means of transportation and
purchase food. Moreover, several new hotels, ashrams, and restaurants are open to fulfilling
visitors' demands. Many restaurants cater to a wide variety of visitors by offering different
cuisines such as Marwari, Chinese, Continental, South Indian, and Gujrati. All the previous
elements represent a large part of the local revenues in Haridwar (Karar, 2010).
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Impacts of religious tourism at Sikh pilgrim center of Amritsar, India
Religious tourism tends to encourage the development of multiple-use infrastructure
(Gupta et al., 2008) that benefits the host community, including various means of transports,
health care facilities, and recreation centers (Kumar, 2013). Tourists want a safe and comfortable
journey, security of food, shelter and health as an essential part of their pilgrimage and thus to
cater to their needs and demands, business houses, individuals, agencies, and even the
government have started playing an important role in providing services to the pilgrims which in
turns adds to the development of the local region (Kumar, & Singh, 2015).
Nowaczyk (2018) explains that the multiplier effects of income generated by tourism
can be direct, indirect, and induced. According to Kumar (2013), religious tourism tends to
encourage the development of multiple-use infrastructure that benefits the host community.
These include various means of transports, health care facilities, and sports centers, in addition to
the hotels and high-end restaurants that cater to foreign visitors (Mishra et al., 2013). The
development of infrastructure has, in turn, induced the development of other directly productive
activities (Tomer et al., 2012).
Moreover, these impacts can also contribute to high living costs within the
community, pushing out local businesses, and raising costs for residents (Gupta, & Raina, 2008).
For example, local communities need to be able to fund tourist demands, which leads to an
increase in taxes, price of living increases in terms of rent and rates, as well as property values
going up. It can be problematic for locals looking to buy property (Gupta, 2008).
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Impacts of religious tourism at Sikh pilgrim center of Amritsar, India
2.3.2 Socio-culture impacts
The socio-cultural impact of tourism refers to changes in the quality of life of
residents of a tourist destination (De Lucia et al., 2020). The social and cultural impacts of
tourism are how tourism is contributing to change in a value system, individual behavior, family
relationship, lifestyle, safety level, moral conduct, religion, language, and interpersonal
relationship at the destination (Kurmanaliyeva, Rysbekova, Duissenbayeva, & Izmailov, 2014).
These socio-cultural impact effect on the local people of host communities of their direct
and indirect association with tourists (Kurmanaliyeva et al., 2014), for example, the introduction
of tourists to sensitive areas can be detrimental, cause a loss of culture, or contribute to the
preservation of culture and cultural sites through increased resources (De Lucia et al., 2020).
Religious tourism provides funding to preserve and conserve cultural heritage, gives back
cultural pride, revitalize customs, traditions and opens the door for cultural sharing and learning
(Smith, 2009).
Most of the standard positive socio-cultural impacts include increasing cross-cultural
interaction, understanding, maintaining, and keeping local culture, arts, crafts and traditions,
empowering host communities, and strengthening cultural values (Banerjee, 2014).
According to Kuthiala (2001), Religious tourism helps to preserve several places that have
historical importance by declaring them as heritage sites: some examples being the Golden
Temple, the Taj Mahal, and the Qutab Minar (Kumar, 2009).
On the negative side, religious tourism sometimes led to the destruction of the social
fabric of a community (Shinde, 2010). It can increase tension, hostility, and suspicion between
24
Impacts of religious tourism at Sikh pilgrim center of Amritsar, India
the tourists and the local communities when there is no respect and understanding for each
other’s culture and way of life (Suntikul, & Dorji, 2016).
Some experts and planners strongly believe that the host community and local people
should be highly involved in the process of planning and accomplishment of tourism
development because they considered as the fundamental part of any tourism product (Banerjee,
2014). For example, local people often take pride in their culture and religion and want to share
their enthusiasm with tourists. Their involvement is significant in protecting and preserving the
religious or cultural sites (Lee, 2013; Banerjee, 2014).
2.3.3 Environmental impacts
Tourism causes wide-ranging environmental impacts on the host destination. These
include congestion experienced at the tourist places (Mishra et al., 2013), increasing demand for
natural resources and contribute to the source of solid waste residual (Karthi et al., 2012) the
problem of air pollution, water, and noise pollution, (Kumar, 2009) and degradation of
environmental features (Shinde, 2007). For example, tourists generate considerable waste,
tourists on expedition leave behind their garbage, toilet papers, plastic bags, cups, and food
waste. Such practices degrade the environment (Karar, 2010).
According to Hanandeh, tourism is the fifth largest pollution source in the world, which
is responsible for nearly 14% of the global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The highest
estimation of tourists per year is 300 million people from all around the world, which belongs to
religious tourism (2013). Hanandeh cites the example of the impacts of Hajj in Mecca. Hajj is
one of the oldest and largest religious tourism events in the world, drawing a million participants
from all around the world. On average, each pilgrim contributes 60.5 kg CO2-eq per day because
25
Impacts of religious tourism at Sikh pilgrim center of Amritsar, India
of transportation, hotel stay, meals and waste management (2013). At Mecca, Hajj,
transportation is the most significant contributor to greenhouse gases, followed by the lodging,
then food with each accounting to 60%, 18% and 13%, respectively. On the other side, one of
the critical reasons for environmental pollution of transportation is that tourists never pay
attention to adverse environmental impacts during their journeys, and they are not interested in
altering their travel patterns and climate changes (Hanandeh, 2013).
On the other side, Kuthiala explained that tourism is well planned, which may also
generate positive environmental impacts (2001). For example, improvements that help tourism
such as better transportation and communication, tree planting, restoration of historic sites, Holy
places, and urban beautification (Vijayanad, 2013).
Vijayanad explained that “religious institutions may provide a good platform to propagate
environmental awareness based on religious teachings” (2013), for example, sustainable tourism
practices and reduce the carbon footprint through composting of organic waste, recycling of
plastics, glass and metals (Kasam, Iresha, & Setyoadi, 2019), use of renewable energy, reuse of
treated wastewater for irrigation purposes, smart building designs to reduce energy use and
improve natural lighting (Hanandeh, 2013).
The United Nations World Tourism Organization defines sustainable tourism as a
tourism industry that meets current needs without compromising the ability of future generations
to meet their needs. It is not a product, but a spirit that supports all tourism activities and meets
the needs of tourists and host regions (Sustainability Plan 2013 – 2017, 2013).
The sustainable development of religious tourism is the key to safeguarding the vast
cultural heritage of a region (Badawy, & Shehata, 2018). With this, a lot of churches, cathedrals,
shrines, and temples will not fall into oblivion, keeping the grandeur that they have in the past
26
Impacts of religious tourism at Sikh pilgrim center of Amritsar, India
(Turcov, & Nabolsi, 2018). The focus of sustainable tourism development is on maintaining the
economic and social advantages of tourism development while reducing or mitigating any
adverse effects on the natural, historical, cultural, or social environment. So, environmental
sustainability mainly depends on the three Rs: ‘reducing-reusing-recycling’ (Turcov, st.al.’ 2018;
Badawy et al., 2018).
2.4 Research gap(s)
The numerous studies examined how religious tourism impacts on destinations and how
residents view tourism in the context of Hinduism, Jainism, Islam, and Buddhism pilgrimage.
There is a paucity of studies looking specifically at how religious tourism and tourists affect
residents living in “holy or sacred” destinations in the context of the Sikh pilgrimage. A detailed
assessment of impacts in a Sikh pilgrimage site needs to do in more excellent detail. Many
studies have focused on several pilgrim-sites in India, such as Ganga, Shirdi, Tirupati, Vaishno
Devi and Mathura, but there are only a handful of studies about Amritsar which is one of the
holiest sites for Sikh followers. However, the lack of studies on the Sikh pilgrimage shows that
this area of research needs to explore further.
27
Impacts of religious tourism at Sikh pilgrim center of Amritsar, India
2.5 Conceptual Framework
Based on the review of literature, religious tourism is one of the fastest-growing sectors
in the world, and it has enormous economic impacts, socio-cultural, and environmental
consequences. These impacts are contributing to changes in the value system, individual
behaviors, lifestyles, safety levels, moral conduct, and community organization. Moreover,
attractions, accommodation, ancillary services, and amenities are the fundamental element of any
kind of tourism. Based on the studies discussed above, it is possible to develop a conceptual
framework to examine religious tourism and its impacts on the Sikh pilgrimage site of Amritsar.
In this framework, the three main categories of impacts are dividing into specific
sectoral areas of influences that can be measure with indicators. This categorization helps to
collect and analyze data for each indicator to present a more comprehensive assessment of
impacts. Another aspect included in this framework is the response of different institutions and
agencies in addressing and mitigating these impacts. The next chapter details the research design
and methodology for investigating the impacts of religious tourism in Amritsar, building on the
framework. This framework is in Figure 3 below.
28
Impacts of religious tourism at Sikh pilgrim center of Amritsar, India
Figure 3: A framework to analyze impacts of Religious
Impacts of Religious Tourism
Economic Impacts
Socio-cultural Impacts
Environmental Impacts
➢ Job Creation
➢ Pride in Local Culture
➢ Air Pollution
➢ Informal religious economy
➢ Promoting Peace and Stability
➢ Noise Pollution
➢ Accommodation
➢ Change in Land use composition
➢ Sewage
➢ Increase in the price of Goods
➢ Demonstration Effect
➢ Depletion of Artifacts
➢ Real estate development
➢ Crowding
➢ Transport
➢ Regional Development
➢ Infrastructure and Facilities
29
Impacts of religious tourism at Sikh pilgrim center of Amritsar, India
CHAPTER 3
METHODOLOGY
This chapter describes the research approach used for answering the research
questions around the impacts of religious tourism in Amritsar, Punjab and introduces the study
area.
3.1 Secondary data
This research paper is entirely base on secondary data. In this paper, the environmental,
socio-cultural, and economic impacts have been exploring as key drivers. Within each of the
three components, different data searches from various literature, such as journals, books, printed
and electronic media, were explored to substantiate the potential future scenario further. There
were two main reasons to choose the secondary data in this study: firstly, the topic was too broad
and secondly, the sensitivity of the study area. For example, The Golden temple is main target
for terrorist attacks in Punjab, and to research their prior permission from the SGPC is required
(PUDA, 2012; Paul, 2019).
Secondary data analysis involves a researcher using the information that someone else
has gathered for other research purposes. One of the most noticeable advantages of using
secondary data analysis is its cost-effectiveness because someone else has already collected the
data, the researcher does not need to invest any money, time, or effort into the data collection
stages of his or her study (Cheng, & Phillips, 2014; Castle, 2003).
30
Impacts of religious tourism at Sikh pilgrim center of Amritsar, India
Also, the data from a secondary data set is typically already cleaned and stored in an
electronic format, so the researcher can spend his or her time rolling up their sleeves and
analyzing the data instead of spending time having to prepare the data for analysis. Another
benefit of analyzing secondary data instead of collecting and analyzing primary data is the sheer
volume and breadth of data that is publicly available today (Cheng, & Phillips, 2014; Castle,
2003).
On the other hand, the data collected through secondary sources may not be as authentic
as when collected directly from the source. It is a widespread disadvantage with online sources
due to a lack of regulatory bodies to monitor the kind of content that is shared. Another main
disadvantage of secondary data is that some of the data sources are outdated, and there are no
new available data to replace the old ones. For example, the national census is not usually
updated yearly (Cheng, & Phillips, 2014; Castle, 2003).
3.2 Study setting
The study is about religious tourism in the city of Amritsar, which believed to attract
a hundred thousand visitors a day – more than the iconic Taj Mahal in India. Amritsar city is
famous as a religious centre and a place for religious tourism due to the presence of Golden
temple, Durgiana temple and many other gurudwaras, temples and mosques (PUDA, 2012;
Government of Punjab Tourism, 2016). The city is in the Majha region of the state of Punjab in
India. The State is known as the land of great Sikh gurus and has a great heritage of famous
religious shrines, palaces, monuments, and historical buildings (PUDA, 2012; Government of
Punjab Tourism, 2016).
31
Impacts of religious tourism at Sikh pilgrim center of Amritsar, India
3.3 Data collection
In this research, secondary data collected from different online associations,
government reports, projects, scholarly articles, newspaper articles, journals, e-books, censuses,
internet searches and websites. These data sources are used to monitor the progress and evaluate
their impact in different years, which helps to find the answers for research questions. These
reports, schemes, and documents are mentioned below in Table.1:
Government Websites
Reports, Schemes and
Nature of Data
Documents
Ministry of Tourism,
➢ State-wise summary report
This data will help achieve to
Government of India
of Approved hotels and
find Economic Impacts such
( http://tourism.gov.in/ )
Travel trade operators.
as:
➢ Tourist inflow to India in
➢ Increase in the
different years (2017,
number of tourists in
2018, & 2019) through
Punjab
different Airports, for
example, “Amritsar
Airport.”
➢ Domestic & Foreign
➢ Increase in number of
Hotels in Punjab
➢ The economic growth
of the region.
Tourist Visits (2017, 2018
& 2019).
32
Impacts of religious tourism at Sikh pilgrim center of Amritsar, India
Government of Punjab,
India
http://punjab.gov.in/
➢ History of Punjab, and
Culture
This data will help achieve to
find the
➢ Districts & Map
Scio-cultural and Economic
➢ Key Achievements of
Impacts, such as:
Punjab Government
➢ Access to different
departments
➢ background
information of
Punjab’s history,
culture, and area.
➢ The different
initiatives are done
by the Punjab
Government to
improve tourism in
the region.
Government of Punjab
➢ Religious Tourism
This data will help achieve to
Tourism
➢ Different organizations
find the Scio-cultural and
http://punjabtourism.gov.
in/#/home
such as
Economic Impacts such as:
1. Punjab Heritage &
➢ Information on tourist
Tourism Promotion
flow in the different
Board
districts of the region
in the form of
statistics.
33
Impacts of religious tourism at Sikh pilgrim center of Amritsar, India
2. Punjab Tourism
➢ The data about
Development
different jobs in the
Corporation
tourism sector, such
3. Infrastructure
Development
as tour operators.
➢ The detailed
Investment
information about
Program for
different departments
Tourism
of Punjab tourism
4. Directorate of
Tourism
➢ Reports, Statistics &
surveys
➢ The information about
different facilities
such as Bed and
Breakfast scheme,
➢ Registered Tour operators
Regional development
➢ Tour Facilitation
and preserving local
culture and arts
➢ Different job
categories in Punjab
tourism
➢ About District: History,
This data will help achieve to
Punjab
Weather, Population,
find the Environmental, Scio-
https://amritsar.nic.in/
Area, Census and Map
cultural and Economic
Amritsar, Government of
➢ Tourism in Amritsar:
Impacts such as:
Tourist Places, Travel
34
Impacts of religious tourism at Sikh pilgrim center of Amritsar, India
Agents, Public Utilities,
➢ Background
Accommodation, Culture
information of
& heritage, and Handicraft
Amritsar’s history,
Master Plan of Amritsar (2010-
culture, area, and
2031)
population.
➢ Different tourist
places in Amritsar
➢ Different sources of
Pollution in the City
➢ Facilities provided by
Government and
local people to
tourists.
➢ The service sector of
the City, such as real
estate and hotels and
restaurants.
➢ Increase in Local
business
➢ Preserving historical
places and culture in
the city
➢ Public Awareness
35
Impacts of religious tourism at Sikh pilgrim center of Amritsar, India
Municipal Corporation
➢ Religious, Historical, and
This data will help achieve to
Amritsar
other vital places in
find the
http://amritsarcorp.com/
Amritsar
Scio-cultural and Economic
➢ Ongoing Projects such as
Punjab Municipal Services
improvement Project
➢ Tours: shopping, fairs &
festivals, & travel
Impacts, such as:
➢ Different festivals and
fairs celebrated in the
city and at Golden
temple
information
➢ Ongoing different
➢ Slum Areas
projects in the city
Such as Smart City
and Green City
➢ Distribution of land
36
Impacts of religious tourism at Sikh pilgrim center of Amritsar, India
3.4 Data analysis
In this study, existing data analyzed to identify the different impacts of religious
tourism in Amritsar and the Golden temple. There are two general approaches for analyzing
existing data: the ‘research question-driven’ approach and the ‘data-driven’ approach (Cheng, &
Phillips, 2014).
In the research question approach, researchers have a question in mind and then look for
suitable datasets to address the question. In the data-driven approach, researchers’ glance through
variables in a dataset and decide what kind of questions can be answered by the available data. In
practice, the two approaches are often used jointly and iteratively (Cheng & Phillips, 2014).
In the study, the research question approach used. On the base of three research
questions, different government reports, projects, scholarly articles, newspaper articles, journals,
e-books, censuses, internet searches, and websites explored. By combining all the different
information, which had not done previously, the researcher was able to generate new information
about environmental, socio-cultural, and economic impacts in the city.
37
Impacts of religious tourism at Sikh pilgrim center of Amritsar, India
Chapter 4
Findings
The findings presented in this chapter based on the analysis of content collected from
many secondary sources, including reports prepared by critical stakeholders, media articles
(newspaper and other online articles), and relevant research papers. Following the conceptual
framework presented in Chapter 2, the discussion of the impacts of religious tourism in Amritsar
organized across three main types of impacts: Economic, Socio-cultural, and Environmental.
4.1 Current scenario of religious tourism in Amritsar
Amritsar is revere for the Golden Temple. The holiest shrine of the Sikh community has
hundred thousand (100,000) visitors per day which can increase to hundred and fifty thousand
(150,000) people on special occasions and festivals, (PUDA, 2012) which included 1500-1600
international tourists and 3000 Non-Residents of India (NRI’s) (Roy, 2013). According to
Punjab Tourism (the tourism department of Government of Punjab), in a lean month, the Golden
Temple has 3,000,000 visitors, which can increase to 6,000,000 in peak month (Government of
Punjab, 2016).
Among other tourist attractions, Jallianwala Bagh and Wagah border ceremony are the
prominent ones. Amritsar is also one of the 12 cities in India which have been included under
HRIDAY scheme (Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana) to conserve the
historic and cultural resources in the city (PUDA, 2012).
38
Impacts of religious tourism at Sikh pilgrim center of Amritsar, India
Table. 2
Year
Year-wise Tourist visits in Amritsar and Punjab
No. of Tourist visits
No. of Tourist visits
Amritsar’s share in
Amritsar
Punjab
state’s tourists'
footfalls
2011
11,096,952
16,567,596
67%
2012
10,072,719
19,119,943
53%
2013
12,058,034
21,544,962
56%
2014
15,368,340
24,526,751
63%
2015
16,924,412
26,038,728
65%
2016
25,462,627
39,363,061
65%
2017
25,978,495
41,401,987
63%
2018
26,935,017
45,796,030
59%
Source: (Economic and Statistical Organization, Department of Planning, Government of
Punjab (ESOPB), 2020)
The tourist statistics presented in Table. 2 have shown a positive trend of an increasing
number of tourists each year in Punjab. Moreover, Amritsar accounts for more than 50% of the
total tourist inflow in the State. In 2018, a total of 45.79 million people visited Punjab; out of
that, 25.97 million people visited Amritsar (ESOPB, 2020). However, this data does not mention
how many tourists visited for religious motives. In a paper presented by Market Research
Division, Ministry of Tourism, (2009-2010) reported on a visitors’ survey they conducted in
39
Impacts of religious tourism at Sikh pilgrim center of Amritsar, India
Punjab. According to them, 95% of foreign visitors and 43% to 49 % of domestic visitors visited
Punjab for ‘Holidays, Leisure & Recreation,’ and only 6.14% domestic and 1.65% foreign
visitors come for religious purposes. Moreover, they also mentioned that the Golden temple,
Amritsar, is the most visited place in the city, with 35.41% visitors and ranked number one in the
state.
The leading religious organization that manages religious tourism in Amritsar is the
Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC). This organization manages the security,
finances, facilities, and religious aspects of Gurudwara (SGPC, 2020). It is also known as
Parliament of the Sikh Nation. The elections to SGPC held every five years. They elect the
committee directly under the provisions of the Sikh Gurdwara Act 1925, which enables SGPC to
control all the historical Gurdwaras. As such, SGPC is also responsible for the management of
Gurdwaras in the state of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Chandigarh. It also runs
many prestigious educational institutions, including Medical colleges, Hospitals, and many
Charitable trusts (SGPC, 2020).
The Golden temple is open 24 hours and performs different functions daily, which are
managed by SGPC. For example, Spiritual functions like morning, evening ceremonies, the
poetry of the Sikh Gurus, as well as writings of non-Sikhs, which are sung daily as hymns to
local classical music. On special occasions like Gurupurabs, the Guru Granth Sahib will be read
from beginning to end, which takes about two days and will time to end early on the morning of
the anniversary (Sikhs.Org, 2011; Jutla, 2016; SGPC, 2020). Another important and essential
function is the Langar (community kitchen), a hot vegetarian meal, prepared on the premises and
served free of charge to all visitors. The tradition of Langar started over 500 years ago by the
first Guru of the Sikhs, Guru Nanak Dev Ji. The free community kitchen (Langar) serves food to
40
Impacts of religious tourism at Sikh pilgrim center of Amritsar, India
100,000 people every day, and on special occasions, double the numbers of people visit the
Langar. They serve the Langar 24 hours, and on average, 12,000 kilograms (kg) of flour, 1,500
kg of rice, 1,3000 kg of lentils, and 2000 kg vegetables used in preparing the meal every day
(Anand, 2019). The free kitchen uses firewood, LPG gas and electronic bread makers for the
cooking (Hindustan Times, 2014). Gurdwaras also provide facilities for schools, libraries, health
clinics, and serve as a community centre (Sikhs.Org, 2011; Jutla, 2016; SGPC, 2020).
According to the study, “Religious tourism in India shows varied economic outcomes”
(2011, para. 4), “Pilgrimage does involve not only visiting places but also performing rituals, for
which religious specialists like priests must be hired. It has a large impact on the economy of a
place, but it functions in very different ways from one place to another”. It could safely suggest
that the high level of visitation to Amritsar has substantial socio-economic impacts on local
businesses and the local community.
4.2 Economic Impacts:
Economic Growth
Economic growth in Punjab is to overtake the national average growth rate in 20192020, after five years. Although in contrast with earlier years, growth is expected to moderate, in
tandem with national patterns. This balance is a consequence of a there is a general slowdown in
the Indian economy, and specifically, in the agriculture and manufacturing sector. These sectors
contribute the most share to Punjab’s Gross Value Added (GVA) (ESOPB, 2020).
On the other hand, the share of the services sector in Punjab grew from 43% in 20042005 to 46% in 2019-2020. In comparison to other sectors, growth in the services sector has been
the highest. The Sector grew and expected to be stable at 7% in 2019-2020. The Sector utilizes
41
Impacts of religious tourism at Sikh pilgrim center of Amritsar, India
41% of the workforce. The growth rate has primarily driven by the growth in trade, repair,
hotels, and restaurants sector. In 2019-2020 the ‘Trade, repair, hotels and restaurant’ sector
accounted for 93.6% of the GSVA, which is more than one-fifth to the total services GSVA from
2011-2012. Moreover, real estate, ownership of dwellings & professional services in Punjab
contribute to a 19.8% share in 2019-2020 as compared to 2017-2018, which was only 7.1%
(ESOPB, 2020).
Job Creation
As mentioned above, the leading organization directly involved in religious tourism in
Amritsar is SGPC. The massive workforce working for many different functions at the temple
include 90% of volunteers and 10% of staff that is directly employed and salaried by SGPC
(Anand, 2019). The paid staff has 282 jobs which are provided by SGPC, such as, priests,
mangers, ragi group (Sikh musicians), machine operators, cooks, religious teachers, music
teachers, clerk, storekeeper, security guards, managers of inns, and religious ceremonies in
charges (SGPC, 2020). These workers must work a minimum of 2 years to get a permanent job
(SGPC, 2020). Furthermore, over 2,000 people are employed on a contractual basis by the SGPC
for maintaining cleanliness in the Golden temple premises and surroundings (Abakerli, 2017). In
Golden Temple, with a hundred thousand visitors per day, it is necessary to rely on priests’
support for performing ceremonies, and the people who choose to accommodate pilgrimage inns
managed by SGPC staff.
Moreover, In Amritsar, 93% of the workers are engaged in tertiary activities such as
hotels & restaurants, real estate, retail trade, transportation, and social services. In 2001, hotels &
restaurants employed 4073 workers, which projected to increase to 5099 in 2011, 6409 in 2021
42
Impacts of religious tourism at Sikh pilgrim center of Amritsar, India
and 8066 in 2031 (PUDA, 2012). These workers classified into four categories, such as
management, food and beverages, housekeeping, and others (Development Management Group
(DMG) Consulting Privately limited (2009-2010).
On the other hand, the Government of Punjab announced numerous initiatives with dual
objectives of attracting tourists and empowering youth of the State by generating employment
opportunities. Such as:
•
Punjab Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC) has created Tourist Information
Centers at Amritsar Railway Station, Wagha Border and Airport. More than 50
employees have been engaged by the department to act as tourist guides, which
positioned at essential centres of tourist influx including Golden Temple, Bus Stand,
Wagha Border, Railway Station, Airport and Durgiana Temple (PUDA, 2012).
•
The State Government announced to create 10,000 self-employment opportunities for
youth in the tourism sector. Renovation of properties of the Tourism Department into
world-class tourist attractions - this includes 15 properties of the Tourism Department,
located in beautiful natural locations that have the potential to attract tourists from all
over the world (ESOPB, 2020).
•
Heritage walks in Amritsar and Patiala were organized on World Tourism Day (27th
September 2019), which witnessed participation from students and visitors. A batch of 27
tour guides and tour operators has also started, who are trained in collaboration with the
Guru Nanak Dev University, to facilitate foreign tourists visiting the State (ESOPB,
2020).
43
Impacts of religious tourism at Sikh pilgrim center of Amritsar, India
Informal religious economy
According to Roy (2013), the Golden Temple sustains a large segment of the economy
of Amritsar, by providing jobs to young people, and business to shopkeepers, transporters, and
hotel owners. There are about 3,000 shops stretched along the circumference of the Golden
temple, which sells religious souvenirs and a variety of items, including toys, kirpans (swords),
papad (crispy flatbread), wadiyans (curry), shawls (mufflers), and blankets. As compared with
the other shops in the city in the same business, these shops witness good sales. Moreover, it is
important to note that access to the information for these shops are not easily available because
most of shops are managed by SGPC and restricted regulations (PUDA, 2012; Roy, 2013).
Roy (2013) quotes examples of many shopkeepers from the old city area on their
business opportunities and sales:
One of the guest-house owners said, "Despite having rooms for staying purposes within
the temple premises for visitors, our occupancy rates throughout the season remain at around 95
percent"(cited in Roy, 2013, para. 9).
Kuldeep Singh, a papad shop owner, said, "As the Amritsar papad is famous throughout
the country, people coming from different parts of the world never forget to buy papad” (cited in
Roy, 2013, para. 8).
44
Impacts of religious tourism at Sikh pilgrim center of Amritsar, India
Accommodation
Accommodation is an essential element of tourism. The necessary infrastructure
needed for its growth is hotels, lodges, resorts, inns, and hostels. The numerous historical and
religious structures in Amritsar attract an increasing number of domestic and foreign tourists.
Not all the visitors to Amritsar stay overnight, and, among those who do, some have family
and friends with which they can stay. Only some stay in hotels and other types of
accommodation.
According to the field survey done by Market Research Division, Ministry of Tourism,
40.37 percent of domestic overnight visitors stayed with their friends and relatives, followed by
34.94 percent stayed in guest houses, Inns, Gurudwaras, Temples, and other temporary free stay
facilities, and 24.69 percent stayed at hotels. On the other hand, the foreign overnight visitors
mostly stayed in hotels with 75.53 percent, 28.47 percent with friends and relatives, and only
1.60 percent prefer to stay somewhere else. The occupancy rate of the hotels varied from 58.95
to 70.59 percent (DMG, 2009-2010).
Amritsar has more than 150 hotels in the city, which provide comfortable and
convenient stay ranging from economical to luxury five-star hotels. Every year new hotels are
opening in the Amritsar (PUDA, 2012; Roy, 2013). An international clientele frequents some of
these hotels, and others serve mainly domestic tourists. The first five-star deluxe hotel, Hyatt
Amritsar, opened recently in 2017, which has 248 rooms (PUDA, 2012; Government of Punjab
Tourism, 2015). Major hotels, along with the number of rooms available in Amritsar are detailed
below in Table. 3:
45
Impacts of religious tourism at Sikh pilgrim center of Amritsar, India
Category
Hotel Name
Total Rooms
5 Star Deluxe
Hyatt Amritsar
248
5 Star
Hotel Ista
248 including ten suites
4 Star
M.K International
75
4 Star
Ritz Plaza
50
4 Star
Mohan International
76
4 Star
Grand Legacy
52
4 Star
P.R. Residency
49
4 Star
La Cascade
18
4 Star without Alcohol
Ramada Amritsar
145
4 Star with Alcohol
Holiday Inn
145
4 Star with Alcohol
Regenta Cantral
38
3 Star
Shiraz Regency
35
3 Star
R.V. Continental
32
3 Star
City Heart
30
3 Star
Ishan Villa
27
3 Star
C.J International
25
3 Star
R.S Residency
21
(Ministry of Tourism, 2015; Government of Punjab Tourism, 2016; PUDA, 2012)
46
Impacts of religious tourism at Sikh pilgrim center of Amritsar, India
However, pilgrims and visitors also prefer the free accommodation provided by
Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee in its five pilgrim-inns near Golden Temple.
These listed in Table. 4
Table. 4: Pilgrim accommodation provided by SGPC
Name of Inns
Capacity of Rooms
Sarai Shri Guru Ramdas
228 rooms and 18 big halls
Shri Guru Har Gobind Niwas
88 rooms and two halls
Shri Guru Arjun Niwas
65 rooms
Akal Rest House
20 rooms
Shri Guru Nanak Niwas
80 rooms
(Gateway to Sikh Foundation, 2020)
According to the Punjab Urban Planning and Development Authority (2012), the
available accommodation in Amritsar is inadequate to meet the needs of the tourists. There is an
urgent need for creating affordable and budget accommodation with quality facilities for the
tourists in the city, which not only helps the tourists but also extends their stay in the city, which
increases the income.
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Impacts of religious tourism at Sikh pilgrim center of Amritsar, India
In 2016, the Punjab Heritage Tourism Promotion Board launched a scheme name called
Bed & Breakfast. The primary purpose of this scheme was to provide clean and affordable
accommodation for international and domestic tourists, including an opportunity for tourists to
stay with an Indian family, experience the traditions, culture, and cuisine of Punjab (Government
of Punjab tourism, 2016).
The first phases of the Bed and Breakfast Scheme launched in the urban areas of
Amritsar, Patiala and SAS Nagar, Mohali. The homeowners who have the necessary aptitude and
home of suitable size and requisite standards will be invited to participate in the scheme, and
training is provided to homeowners. Bed and Breakfast Scheme can be a useful source of
additional income, as well as an enjoyable business activity for local people (Government of
Punjab tourism, 2016). The eight homeowners registered to the scheme in 2014 at Amritsar,
which increased to 17 homeowners in 2015 and 19 homeowners in 2016 (Government of Punjab
tourism, 2015).
Moreover, farmers of Punjab also participate beyond traditional farm enterprises to
provide a unique experience to visitors through “Farm Stay.” These are farms that offer
accommodation and meals for the tourists (Punjab Heritage & Tourism Promotion Board,
Government of Punjab, 2016). According to Punjab Farm Tourism Scheme, only those farms
will participate in this scheme who are fully developed as a tourism point of view and have a
minimum one room with a washroom and full meal service (Government of Punjab, Department
of Tourism, 2012). In 2013, three farms stayed registered in Amritsar with a capacity of five and
eight rooms. After that, in 2019, two more farm stays are recorded in Amritsar with four rooms
each (Government of Punjab, Department of Tourism, 2018).
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Impacts of religious tourism at Sikh pilgrim center of Amritsar, India
Farm-stays can offer a significant source of on‐farm income for rural economies and
communities, which not only boosting business but also promote tourism in the local
communities. Besides, farm‐stays also helps in preserving the heritage and culture, farming, and
family traditions. For example, In Punjab, through farm stay, visitors learn about crop harvesting,
participate in local games, meet with local artisans, and visit temples, mosques and gurdwaras.
Moreover, relax under the shade of a magical banyan tree and savour the mouthwatering cuisine
of a homemade Punjabi feast (Government of Punjab, Department of Tourism, 2012).
It found that due to the increasing influx of religious tourists in recent years, many diverse
forms of accommodation have begun to operate, providing more choice to tourists and
contributing to the tourism economy.
Transportation
Travel and transportation are an integral component of tourism. Amritsar
connected by various means of transport such as rail, train, bus, and an international airport,
which makes it easily accessible not only within the country but also from all over the world.
The city well connected to various cities of India, such as National Highways with New Delhi,
Jammu, and other significant states by rail, road, and air (PUDA, 2012; Government of Punjab,
2016). Most of the tourists coming to the city use rail and road as the preferred mode of
transportation, and air traffic has also shown a considerable increase (Singh, 2016; Sharma,
2017).
For example, Tourism Survey Report of Punjab (2009-2010), reported that the domestic
overnight visitors from within the state (60.15 percent), overnight visitors from outside the state
(76.37 percent) and foreign visitors (64.46 percent) extensively used railways to reach their
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Impacts of religious tourism at Sikh pilgrim center of Amritsar, India
tourist destinations. However, same-day visitors (63.96 percent) from within the state used buses
as the primary mode of transport. Other means of travel used by the domestic visitors are nil
except air travel made by 0.32 percent of visitors from outside the state. Most of the foreign
overnight visitors used Railways (64.5 percent), air (18.2 percent) and taxies (17.4 percent)
(DMG, 2009-2010).
Public transport to the temple
SGPC has a free bus shuttle to the Golden Temple that runs at the frequency of every
two hours: the bus picks up devotees from the bus station, railway station and airport, and bring
them to the temple. There are four bus shuttles going in between the railway station and the interstate bus terminal and one bus shuttle to the Airport (Airport Authority of India, 2020; The
Tribune, 2018). It takes about 15 minutes to reach Golden Temple. The capacity of one bus is
about 30-32 seats, but sometimes, the passenger’s arguments with the bus driver and end up
making the bus overcrowded. Moreover, SGPC starts five more buses, which will be used to
bring people from other states who wish to visit the Golden Temple but cannot afford the
travelling expenses (The Tribune, 2018).
Besides, the SGPC enhanced the frequency of four buses that shuttle between the
Golden Temple, and railway station because of the safety reasons. For example, many cases
have surfaced wherein visitors have fleeced by autorickshaw drivers (Paul, 2017). The
Golden Temple manager, Sulakhan Singh, said the service had made 24X7, keeping in mind
the safety of the devotees. “This is our endeavour to ensure the safety of devotees who come
from far-flung areas. Since the train timings are odd, the visitors hire rickshaws or autos, and
sometimes it becomes a risky ride for them. We keep one bus, each ready at Golden Temple
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Impacts of religious tourism at Sikh pilgrim center of Amritsar, India
and the railway station. Before the bus with devotees leaves the railway station, our staff
members present there to inform us, and we send another bus” (cited in Paul, 2017, para.4).
Regional Development
The Punjab Government has a mission to double the annual tourist visits in the State from
25 million to 50 million in the next five years. There are many schemes and projects are
undertaken to work towards the mission such as, creating new infrastructure and improving the
existing one, particularly on-site facilities such as access roads, parking lots, public toilets, food
and beverage (PHDCCI, 2011).
A notable example is “Circuit touring,” it is an underlying idea in which tourists should
not confine to a single tourist center but undertake multiple destination touring. To work on
circuit touring, the “hub and spoke” strategy is to adopt as the most appropriate approach,
wherein one central destination acts as the hub for the circuit while secondary and tertiary
destinations constitute points of the excursion. It would help in the extension of the duration of
the stay of tourists with resultant economic benefits for the sector (PHDCCI, 2011).
Also, the circuit touring concept would promote through thematic circuits, which would
attract the segment of the market, which is interested in a specific destination or theme (Singh, &
Kaur, 2016). These circuits are divided into two categories, such as Local and National routes.
Following is the description of these travel circuits:
Local Routes
1. Amritsar circuit (Amritsar - Ram Tirath - Sarai Amanat Khan -Wagha Border)
2. Pathankot circuit (Amritsar - Dera Baba Nanak - Qadian -Kalanaur- Gurdaspur)
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Impacts of religious tourism at Sikh pilgrim center of Amritsar, India
3. Jalandhar circuit (Amritsar - Tarntarn - Hari - Ke - Pattan - Goindwal Sahib Sultanpur Lodhi - Kapurthala Kanjli lake)
4. Jalandhar circuit (Amritsar - Baba Bakala - Kartarpur)
5. Chandigarh circuit (Chandigarh, Ropar (Rup Nagar) - Anandpur Sahib, BhakraNangal, Ropar)
6. Faridkot circuit (Ludhiana - Moga - Ferozepur - Bhatinda - Malout- Muktsar)
7. Chandigarh circuit (Patiala-Nabha-Malerkotla - Ludhiana - Fatehgarh Sahib Chandigarh Jalandhar - Hoshiarpur, either back to Jalandhar or Ropar)
(Singh, & Kaur, 2016).
National Routes
I. Amritsar-Hoshiarpur-Himachal Pradesh
II. Amritsar-Muktsar- Rajasthan I
II. Amritsar-Jalandhar-Chandigarh-Haryana
(Singh, & Kaur, 2016).
Among the various tourist circuits of Punjab, “Amritsar circuit” (Amritsar - Ram Tirath
- Sarai Amanat Khan -Wagha Border), is viral and functioning seamlessly. The trip starts from
the holy city of Amritsar by visiting famous places like Golden Temple, Durgiana Mandir, and
Jallianwala Bagh. Move forwards to Ram Tirath Mandir, which is 11 km from Amritsar. The
temple is one of the oldest temples dating back to the time of Ramayana. Follow by Sarai
Amanat Khan, located nearly 46 km on the Tarn Taran-Attari road. The site has been announced
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Impacts of religious tourism at Sikh pilgrim center of Amritsar, India
as a "monument of national importance" under the 'Ancient Monuments and Archaeological
Sites and Remains Act 1958'. The last destination is Wagha Border, which is very memorable to
see the exchange of salutes between the armies of India and Pakistan (Punjab Tourist Circuits,
n.d.).
With Amritsar as a major hub, it believed that these routes brought about considerable
growth in numbers of religious tourists to Amritsar and across the region, which not only helps
in reviving the economy but also helps in generating employment especially in rural areas, as
well as preserve the rich heritage of Punjab while attracting the tourists to different places
(Hindustan Times, 2017).
Tour operators
In Amritsar, the development of different travel circuits undoubtedly encourages the
growth of tour operators. Amritsar has 20 tour operators and 134 travel agents (Punjab Tourism,
Government of Punjab, 2016). Most of them registered in 2015, 2016 and 2017 (Amritsar,
Government of Punjab, n.d.). Out of these numbers, only nine travel trade operators approved by
the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, (2015) which divided into domestic (1), inbound
(2), tourist transport (1), the travel agent (5) and adventure tour operators (0).
The availability of trained, well informed, and multilingual guides with proper motivation
is very crucial for tourism. It will be the effort of the State to select and train an appropriate
number of guides. The state government has initiated various educational and training programs
with financial assistance from the central government to accommodate the needs of the required
workforce in the industry. For example, training workshops of tour operators were conducted by
Punjab Heritage & Tourism Promotion Board (PHTPB) to introduce Punjab to the travel industry
53
Impacts of religious tourism at Sikh pilgrim center of Amritsar, India
in a new way that they could offer to their clientele (Punjab Heritage & Tourism Promotion
Board (PHTPB), Government of Punjab, 2017).
Infrastructure and facilities
Religious tourism has the efficacy to enhance infrastructure development of any tourist
destination. Infrastructure development in the context of tourism explains those utilities and
amenities that are useful to both the tourists and the local population. It implies that the increase
in religious tourist arrivals to a destination increases the demand for infrastructure facilities.
Hence, both the government and the organized private sector need to synergies to invest in
planning and provision of state-of-the-art tourism infrastructure.
For example, Singh & Sohi (2018) mentioned that “Amritsar (Especially Golden Temple)
is one of the most visited places from India as well as in the world for attracting the tourists and
devotees. The traffic- transportation and economic scenario of Amritsar are affected by tourism
of the city” (p.16).
The Golden temple is not only serving as the spiritual strength to the residents but also
used as open space. It also enhances the social interactions between tourists and local people.
These activities increase the traffic and transportation in the walled city. To overcome from the
issue of traffic congestion in a walled city, the Punjab government started the construction and
designing multilevel four wheeler parking as well as two-wheeler parking into ambit zone in
between 100 meters before the Jallianwala Bagh entry gate and 200 meters to 220 meters from
the entry gate of Golden temple (Singh, & Sohi, 2018).
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Impacts of religious tourism at Sikh pilgrim center of Amritsar, India
Increase in price of goods and real estate
Tourism often leads to inflation, which includes the rise in the prices of food, property,
land, and houses. It found that when the demand for certain goods increases, the prices of the
goods automatically increase (Kichloo, 2019). In the study, “Positive and negative impacts of
tourism: a case of Amritsar city,” Kichloo observes that due to the growth of tourism in
Amritsar, prices of the commodities have increased, especially in the areas surrounding the
tourist sites. Shopkeepers take advantage of tourist sites and charge more (2019). In December
2019, food inflation reached 13.2% in Punjab, because of the decline in the agriculture sector. It
should be noted that, contrary to popular belief, mild levels of inflation are considered suitable
for the economy by promoting consumption and, thus, production (ESOPB, 2020).
The walled city of Amritsar is the principal commercial area having many specialized
bazaars. The total character of the walled city is marked by mixed land use with commercial use
on the ground floor while with residential on the upper floors (PUDA, 2012). However, over
time, commercial activities began to concentrate in the walled city, and there is a largescale
conversion of residential areas into commercial use even on upper floors, wherein the availability
of space is a constraint and land prices are very high (PUDA, 2012). For example, prices of
residential and commercial properties in Amritsar have risen about 3.34% - 3.5% and 3.9% 4.20% respectively per year (Shankar, 2016). Moreover, these numbers actively visualized to be
double in the coming years due to different attributes such as heritage and spiritual tourism,
increased connectivity, industrial development, smart city challenge, and improving education
and healthcare facilities in Amritsar (Shankar, 2016).
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Impacts of religious tourism at Sikh pilgrim center of Amritsar, India
From the above discussion, religious tourism mostly has positive impacts on the
economy of Amritsar. It generates considerable formal employment through SGPC and
government initiatives in tourism promotion and supports a large variety of local businesses. The
increase in accommodation choices also suggests a useful contribution of religious tourism to the
economy of Amritsar. With connections to many regional tourist attractions and circuits,
religious tourists make Amritsar as a significant hub, and this has provided opportunities for the
economic upliftment of the city and the region. However, there are also negatives impacts
experience due to high commodification and expensive real estate development.
4.3 Socio-cultural Impacts
Religious tourism influences local culture in many ways, including the improvement of
local facilities, infrastructure, and the conservation of the cultural heritage. On the other hand,
religious tourism also posing a threat to the quality of life of locals, for example, security. In
Amritsar, both positive and negative socio-cultural impacts of religious tourism have
documented and described below:
Pride in the local culture, art, and craft
Religious tourism increases awareness among local people who are not involved
in their traditional arts & crafts business. By building some institutional infrastructure, so
tourism keeps these cultural components alive. Moreover, religious tourism provides
funding to preserve and conserve cultural heritage, gives back cultural pride, revitalize
customs & traditions, as well as opens the door for cultural sharing and learning (Kumar,
2009).
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Impacts of religious tourism at Sikh pilgrim center of Amritsar, India
For example, “Thatheras community” in Amritsar, which are well-known for their
traditional brass and copper craft of utensil making, which are usually not found in
modern markets and are highly beneficial for health. The crafts village of Jandiala Guru
were included in the UNESCO's List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2014 and further
relisted in 2017 (Government of Punjab, 2016).
The municipal administration of Amritsar decided to help the Thatheras
community to find markets to display their products, for example, hotels and branded
showrooms. These people have very little exposure to the market due to that craft is
dying (Rana, 2018). Deputy Commissioner of Amritsar, Kamal deep Singh Sangha, said
that when people and tourists visiting the hotels and showrooms will see handcrafted
pieces of art. They will be buying and feel proud of contributing to saving a dying
tradition. Moreover, to preserve the Thatheras community, Tourism Minister of Punjab,
Navjot Singh Sidhu had announced a corpus fund of $19,000 for the revival of
craftsmanship (Rana, 2018).
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Impacts of religious tourism at Sikh pilgrim center of Amritsar, India
Figure. 4 Craft by Thatheras in Jandiala Guru- Amritsar (Government of Punjab, 2016)
Another famous craft is “Phulkari Embroidery.” Phulkari is a form of craft in which
embroidery is done in a simple and sparse design over shawls and dupattas. Over the years, the
Indian and Punjab governments have been working towards the promotion of Phulkari
embroidery by organizing special training programs, fairs, and exhibitions in the major cities of
Punjab, such as Amritsar, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, and Patiala (Government of Punjab, 2016).
The state has set up Punjab Small Industries & Export Corporation (PSIEC) Limited to
provide a conducive environment and support to develop small scale industries and to market the
handicrafts products (PHDCCI, 2011). PSIEC has set-up numerous training centers to develop
the rich handicrafts of Punjab and to preserve the art and crafts of the state. They help the
creative and skillful artists in Punjab by selling their handicrafts in the showrooms at various
places in India (Punjab Small Industries & Export Corporation (PSIEC) Limited, n.d.). For
example, almost all clothes shops near the Golden Temple sells the phulkari shawls, dupattas,
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Impacts of religious tourism at Sikh pilgrim center of Amritsar, India
and suits, which not only increase the income of almost 4000 women but also makes them selfsufficient (PSIEC, n.d.).
Promoting Peace and Stability
According to the World Tourism and Travel Council, “Tourism can help support
peace and stability by putting pressure on governments to cease fighting whether on an
international front or domestically to attract tourists. It is particularly important if tourism is an
important sector for an economy” (2016, p.5).
Moreover, it involves cross-cultural interaction among people of different nations and
hence helps in building better understanding and peaceful relations, which strengthens dialogues
between regions and neighboring countries through promoting cultural understanding, and
mutual respect (WTTC, 2016).
For example, India and Pakistan have agreed to construct a new border entry point and
road to allow Sikh pilgrims from India to visit a shrine in Pakistan, name called “the Kartarpur
Corridor.” It is a border corridor between Pakistan and India, connecting the Sikh shrines of Dera
Baba Nanak Sahib (located in Punjab, India) and Gurdwara Darbar Sahib (in Punjab, Pakistan)
(Masih, 2019). The two countries decided that 5,000 pilgrims can visit the shrine every day and
that additional pilgrims will be allowed on special occasions. It will be operational throughout
the year and seven days a week (Sevea, 2018). It will be observed that the overall impact of the
Corridor on India-Pakistan ties, can not only contribute to a reduction in tensions but also help to
facilitate to more significant economic linkages and increased people-to-people ties, for instance,
religious tourism, trade with Pakistan, and access to markets in Afghanistan and Central Asia
(Sevea, 2018).
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Impacts of religious tourism at Sikh pilgrim center of Amritsar, India
Moreover, Amritsar will also get benefits from the Corridor because of the close ties to
Pakistan. According to Singh, “the hoteliers in Amritsar are likely to benefit as the pilgrims
visiting Kartarpur are less likely to stay in Dera Baba Nanak due to the online system of seeking
permission” (2019, para.17). He also said that the Amritsar transport companies would benefit
because of the pave the way for the corridor from roads of Amritsar (Singh, 2019).
Cross-border tourism can facilitate better mutual understanding and respect, potentially
reducing the intensity of the international dispute, by acting as a confidence-building measure for
peoples on both sides of the border (WTTC, 2016).
Change in Land use Composition
Land use refers to the spatial distribution of various functions like residential,
commercial, industrial, and recreational spaces. In Amritsar, land-use changes with the
changing needs of a growing population in the city. Municipal limits have increased 2.5times
than the limits in 1991 (PUDA, 2012). With the expansion of urbanization, land area under
green spaces in the Amritsar is decreasing, and more space is used for construction purposes,
for instance, malls and complexes. As per the prescribed standards, the area under recreation
or green spaces should be 20-25%, but presently only1.5% of the area is under green spaces
in the Amritsar, which is negligible as compared to the standards (PUDA, 2012).
For example, initially, the walled city of Amritsar was marked with several parks and
open spaces, which over time, have been using for commercial purposes. The area such as
Hall gate, Ramanand Bagh, Jhande Wala Bagh, Kesari Bagh, and Bagh Akalian, which were
earlier green areas and have now exploited for commercial use. However, with the changing
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Impacts of religious tourism at Sikh pilgrim center of Amritsar, India
lifestyles and priorities of the living community, all are in a state of neglect. The threats
posed to the historical and heritage buildings are misuse and alteration in the architectural
fabric (PUDA, 2012).
Demonstration effect
In Amritsar, tourism has contributed to the growth in the change of value systems, the
behaviour of individuals, lifestyles, and the local language (Kichloo, 2019). For example, the
growth of the anti-social activities in the city lead to an increase in crime, a loosening of social
cohesion, and an increase in anti-social behavior. Moreover, the local language of Punjab and
dressing style are losing its essence because today's generations try to imitate the tourists, and
they feel shame in speaking Punjabi and feel proud in speaking English and wearing western
clothes (Kichloo, 2019).
Moreover, the SGPC temple management takes some measures to safeguard the peaceful
ambience sought by the pilgrim (Jutla, 2016). For example, tourists have been banned from
snapping photographs inside the Golden Temple in Amritsar, to preserve the sanctity of
Sikhism's holiest shrine (Paul, 2019).
Mr. Roop Singh, Chief Secretary of the Shiromani Gurdwara, said that visitors are
crowding for selfies and shooting videos within the centuries-old complex disrespect those
making pilgrimages from all over the world. Moreover, he also said that Golden temple is not a
place for leisure, it is a religious site where devotees come to pray and seek relief from their
sorrows (Paul, 2019).
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Impacts of religious tourism at Sikh pilgrim center of Amritsar, India
Figure. 5 Ban on photography draws flak, SGPC justifies decision (Paul, 2019).
4.4 Environmental Impacts:
The environmental impacts of religious tourism in Amritsar have discussed below:
Air Pollution
One of the significant areas of environmental concern in the Amritsar city is that of
rising air pollution levels, which are a result of increasing personalized modes of transport and
intermediate modes of transport such as auto-rickshaws in the absence of efficient public
transport system in the city (Singh, 2016). In Amritsar, the number of private vehicles has
increased at a rapid pace (Singh, 2016; Sharma, 2017; Shergill & Thukral, 2009). The number of
vehicles has increased by an average growth rate of 6.5% per annum (PUDA, 2012). Due to the
rapid growth of the city, most of the core areas still have a road network of narrow width, which
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Impacts of religious tourism at Sikh pilgrim center of Amritsar, India
is unable to accommodate sizeable vehicular movement (Singh, 2016; Sharma, 2017), leading to
significant traffic congestions and resulting in a concentration of air pollutants.
The road network in the Amritsar has divided into two parts: (1) walled city, (2)
outside the walled city. The walled city is the heart of Amritsar, which carrying a one-sixth
population of the city. There are 14 entry gates of the walled city leading to the Golden Temple,
residential areas, and specialized bazaars. It has a road network that consists of narrow winding
streets that are full of trade activities and generates much traffic due to the absence of adequate
and well-defined parking spaces. In the absence of such spaces, most of the vehicles are park on
the roads leading to traffic congestion and problems in the smooth movement of vehicles
(PUDA, 2012; Kumar et al., 2016).
Within the walled city, most of the trips are covered by auto-rickshaws because of
their low turning radius and high maneuverability, which offered the flexibility to move through
extremely dense urban networks and narrow streets (Kumar et al., 2016). Most of the autorickshaws in the city use petrol mixed with kerosene, which is one of the significant sources of
air pollution (Singh, 2016; Sharma, 2017; Shergill, & Thukral, 2009). The other significant
sources of air pollution in the city include pollution from developmental activities, industries,
traffic jams, handling and burning of municipal, domestic and agriculture waste (PUDA, 2012).
Another source of air pollution in the old city is the amount of fuel used in the temple-kitchen.
Approximately 60 quintals of wood are burnt daily in the free kitchen, which results in high
emission of air pollutants (Hindustan Times, 2014).
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Impacts of religious tourism at Sikh pilgrim center of Amritsar, India
Noise pollution
Increasing urbanization, overcrowding, industrialization, and higher traffic volumes have
resulted in increased noise levels in Amritsar city, leading to noise pollution. Construction work
also plays a vital role in causing noise pollution (Bagga, 2018). The noise has already reached a
level that is high enough to annoy capable of creating temporary to permanent hearing
impairment, particularly to those people who remain exposed to such noise level for a longer
duration of the day. The street vendors and shopkeepers doing business along both sides of the
road are most vulnerable to this hazard (Kumar, 2015).
The primary sources of noise pollution in Amritsar are pressures horns in buses, highvolume DJs, and the blaring loudspeakers at religious places (Jaiswar, 2018). In addition to,
during festive seasons running of gensets, which are around 16 lakhs in number, when the
electricity supply was off not only added to noise but also considerable air pollution (Kumar,
2015).
The Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) had already banned the manufacturing,
purchasing, selling, fitting and usage of pressure horns to curb the rising noise pollution, but still,
there was a lack of enforcement of norms in this regard (Kumar, 2015). For example, residents
are still appealing to the government to make some guidelines to ensure that loudspeakers are not
playing at a high volume at religious places (Jaiswar, 2018).
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Impacts of religious tourism at Sikh pilgrim center of Amritsar, India
Sewage
According to a recent study by Abakerli (2017), essential services such as sanitation and
waste collection, which currently exist in the Golden Temple and its surrounding communities,
are inadequate and are easily overwhelmed by both large influxes of visitors and extended stays
of large groups. Despite the historical and religious significance, the Golden Temple and its
surrounding Galiara area do not present the highest level of cleanliness expected from such a
sacred site. Amenities and facilities that are available in Amritsar at various tourist locations
need to upgrade (Kumar, 2015; Abakerli, 2017). For example, thousands of visitors reach the
Golden Temple via Hall Bazaar, Sultanwind Gate Road, Sheranwala Gate Road, Burj Akali
Phoola Singh road and Ghee Mandi, Gurdwara Shaheedan market. However, these roads,
markets and bazaars do not have even a single toilet (Singh, 2017).
There are around 20 public toilets in the city, SGPC is managing ten toilets which are at
the periphery of Galiara, Sulabh International is maintaining eight on pay and the remaining two
are being managed by a United Kingdom-based organization named Fortal (Singh, 2017).
At Golden temple site, around 5000 people use public toilets every hour. The only
inconvenience people face is that they are located slightly far from the leading temple site, which
makes it difficult to access and less likely to be used (Singh, 2017).
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Impacts of religious tourism at Sikh pilgrim center of Amritsar, India
Degradation of Artifacts
In Amritsar, every year increase in the number of tourists could lead to overuse of resources.
For example, the Golden temple is the acme of Sikh architecture. All its walls and ceilings
contain beautiful artwork that is unique and elegant in style and pattern. It is called the Sikh
school of art (Jaspal, 2017; Gateway to Sikh Foundation, 2020).
Figure. 6 Art conservation of Sri Harmandir Sahib Ji (The Golden Temple), Amritsar, India
Jaspal, 2017; Gateway to Sikh Foundation, 2020)
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Impacts of religious tourism at Sikh pilgrim center of Amritsar, India
Figure. 7 Art conservation of Sri Harmandir Sahib Ji (The Golden Temple), Amritsar,
India Jaspal, 2017; Gateway to Sikh Foundation, 2020.
The wall paintings at Sri Harmandir Sahib have been re-painted or restored many
times in the past. Following are a couple of reasons behind the damage of wall paintings:
Management of the inflow of pilgrims: The sacred site is full of rush most of the time,
and during festivals and holy dates, the rush is too challenging to handle, even though there are
several SGPC staff to manage the crowd. According to Jaspal, “a study should be conducted to
find out how much weight the vertical and horizontal elements of the structure can bear. It is
important because this structure stands on vertical columns and not on the complete ground”
(2017, para.19).
Celebrations and festivals: On every festival, mainly Gurupurabs, there are floral
decorations on the walls and ceilings at the Golden temple. Pilgrims and visitors engaged in such
decorations and use various means to hold the floral chains and bouquets on to the walls. These
are mostly not good for the paintings because they touch the walls and generally wet (Jaspal,
2017, para.18).
Cleaning rituals: As mentioned above in economic impacts, the large workforce working
for many different functions at the temple include 90% of volunteers. According to professional
conservators, devotees need to know the difference between cleaning and damaging the beautiful
work of art. For example, many devotees cleaning wall paintings with wet cloth and towels,
which can be very damaging (Jaspal, 2017, para.17).
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Impacts of religious tourism at Sikh pilgrim center of Amritsar, India
Crowding
The Golden Temple attracts tourists from all around the world. The increasing number of
domestic and foreign tourists in Amritsar leads to crowding and have a direct or indirect impact
on the way people experience at a religious place, for example, long queues and waiting hours
(Jutla, 2016).
The issue of crowding is amply demonstrating in the numbers of visitor reviews found on
TripAdvisor; a few suggestive comments presented below:
“We recently visited the Golden temple on 31st March and could not enter there just
because of the massive crowd. So, we returned disappointed back to Delhi” (Sumit pal
Singh, a visitor from Delhi, 2018).
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Impacts of religious tourism at Sikh pilgrim center of Amritsar, India
Figure. 8 People from all over the world, especially " Sikhs" visit Golden temple at least once in
their lifetime, Shafi, 2013.
“I would call it the eighth wonder of the world. In the evening, the temple looks very
beautiful; the view is breathtaking. We had to stand in the queue though for half an hour
so, but it will always take that much time because of the crowd. Parking is available near
the temple, but it is usually full” (Siddharth, who visited the temple in February 2020).
Figure. 9 Devotees queue up at the Golden Temple in Amritsar, Bagga, 2018.
“It can take up to 3-4 hours or more to enter the temple as it is very crowded there. Also,
people were rude to us as they did not allow us to click photographs. I do not know about
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Impacts of religious tourism at Sikh pilgrim center of Amritsar, India
others, but for me, this was not a very good experience” (Kashi, a visitor from
Ahmedabad who visited the temple in 2019 July,01)
“It was very crowded, and a first-time visitor will get lost. No instructions put up in
English. I wanted to experience the langar but did not understand how to go about it”
(Anjana, who visited the temple in June 2019).
“One honest visitor has to stand in long unorganized queue same for both men and
women for hours. The locals and bribers keep going unstopped from the exit gate.
It needs to be better managed by SGPC. The Golden Temple has become too small
compared to crowds. A separate exit point needs to construct, and only pious and brave
hearts should visit” (Arora, a visitor from New Delhi who visited the temple in April
2018).
From the above discussion, it is visible that religious tourism mostly has negative impacts on the
environment of Amritsar. The city desperately requires the need of practicing healthier and
sustainable tourism practices. Moreover, efficient management and proper planning with the aid
of strict legislation and proper interpretation are needed to create ecological awareness for both
the local and visiting tourists.
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Impacts of religious tourism at Sikh pilgrim center of Amritsar, India
4.5 Managing impacts of religious tourism
As shown in the previous section, the increasing religious tourism in Amritsar causes
several impacts. While economic impacts are mostly beneficial, it is the environmental impacts
that are a matter of concern. Some of these impacts addressed by a few agencies working in
Amritsar which are below:
Municipal Corporation of Amritsar
The Municipal Corporation of Amritsar establishes an integrated Solid Waste
Management (SWM) system to reduce the amount of waste being disposed of while maximizing
resources recovery and efficiency (PUDA, 2012). The system focuses on the following points:
➢ Effective and efficient SWM by promoting 5 R (Reduce, Recycle, Reuse, Rot and
Refuse) by the active involvement of communities and NGOs.
➢ Door-to-door collection of waste.
➢ Pilot program for waste segregation in the city initiated from 2015.
➢ Development of Land-fill Site for scientific disposal of waste, with weigh-bridge facility
➢ One hundred eighty-one households identified in the year 2015 under the IHHL scheme
for construction of toilets, and the first instalment of $ 37 has distributed.
➢ SWM Public grievance redressal increased to 95% (2015) from 80% (2012) (PUDA,
2012).
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Impacts of religious tourism at Sikh pilgrim center of Amritsar, India
The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee
The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee and the Municipal Corporation are
working simultaneously to achieve improved levels of cleanliness and implementing
international standards of sanitation and hygiene around the Golden temple site to make it a
Swachh destination for devotees and tourists from around the world (Abakerli, 2017). Both are
implementing a few schemes, and efforts are summarized below:
➢ Cleaning of public areas within the temple and its walls.
➢ Building additional toilets and enhancing existing public toilets.
➢ Installation of drinking water stations.
➢ Smart waste collection bins.
➢ Waste treatment facilities and services (Abakerli, 2017).
Eco Sikh
Eco Sikh is the Sikh community's contribution to the United Nations Development
Program (UNDP) and Alliance of Religions and Conservation (ARC) Plans for Generational
Change Project, which aims to help the world's major religious traditions create long-term plans
to improve their relationship with the environment (Eco Sikh, 2014).
Following are the notable examples of initiatives taken by the Sikh community all
around the globe and local people to save their environment and sacred place the Golden
Temple, Amritsar:
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Impacts of religious tourism at Sikh pilgrim center of Amritsar, India
Eco Amritsar
Eco Amritsar is an initiative begun by Sikhs and supported by a diversity of local
stakeholders to make Amritsar a greener city (Eco Sikh, 2014). The motive behind this initiative
is to teach visitors and residents to be respectful of the natural environment and following their
religious beliefs (Eco Sikh, 2014). As Amritsar is a holy city, they want to help the city to reduce
waste, conserve water, and expand greenery projects through tree plantings and open spaces (Eco
Sikh, 2014). Moreover, their aim is pilgrims coming to Amritsar to visit a clean green city, and
to return home with ideas to improve their footprint and have a sense that being faithful is being
gentle to the planet (Eco Sikh, 2014).
For example, on 1st Parkash Purab of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, the students of Khalsa
College of Engineering and Technology, Amritsar formed and led the “Green Brigade.” In this
brigade, many volunteers were involved in cleaning the streets in the night as well as early
morning before the Nagar Kirtan begins (Eco Sikh, 2014). The volunteers have been working to
send across the message of how important it is to ensure the cleanliness of the city and
surroundings after religious events (Eco Sikh, 2014).
Moreover, Tarundeep Singh, Project Administrator, Eco-Amritsar, said, “It is very
heartening to see that some people this year have returned to using leaf disposables (Pattal)
leaving behind Styrofoam. We are sure that with the support of SGPC and city Administration,
continuous efforts will bring us back to responsible ways of celebration” (Eco Sikh, 2014,
para.4).
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Impacts of religious tourism at Sikh pilgrim center of Amritsar, India
The couple more initiatives in which Eco Sikh Organization is successful which given below:
➢ Zero waste public gardens.
➢ Planting trees.
➢ Sikh Environment Day on March 14 every year.
➢ Helping fund a green bus to bring villagers into Amritsar every night to help clean the
pilgrim streets leading to the Golden Temple (Eco Sikh, 2014).
Figure. 10 Green Nagar Kirtan to Mark the 1st Parkash Purab of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji
(Eco Sikh, 2014)
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Impacts of religious tourism at Sikh pilgrim center of Amritsar, India
Green Gurdwaras
All religions have temples where people can gather to contemplate on God and pray. The
Sikh temple is called a Gurdwara. The word 'Gurdwara' means 'Gateway to the Guru.' In
Sikhism, one’s dedication to living a good life is essential, but another important aspect of
Sikhism is the Sangat (congregation) (Sikh org, 2011).
There are thousands of Gurdwaras throughout Punjab and the rest of the world. They
serve as community centers for the Sikhs. There are no restrictions on who may enter a
Gurdwara for prayer. People of all religions are welcome to attend (Sikh org, 2011). Another
common feature of all Gurdwaras around the world is Langer, the free community kitchen. Here
food is served to all people who sit together to enjoy a communal meal. It is a symbol of the Sikh
belief in a non-sexist, non-racist society where all people of all casts, religions are equal and can
share a standard meal in the true spirit of unity (Anand, 2019).
Green gurdwaras is a grassroots movement led by Gurdwaras that choose to reduce the
impacts on the environment. Gurdwaras worldwide are pioneering new ideas in renewable
energy, water conservation, waste reduction and recycling, and organic and healthy food systems
(Eco Sikh, 2014). For example, The SGPC plans to switch the Golden temple free community
kitchen moved to a solar power system. The solar energy would not only reduce the use of wood,
which is the primary source of pollution but would also help in reducing the expenses on LPG
cylinders (Hindustan Times, 2017).
From the upper exchange of views, one of the initial presumptions in religious studies is
that most environmental problems can be solved by increasing public awareness about the
environment through religious teachings. In other words, it is assumed that environmental
awareness is the key to solving most of the environmental problems. The acquisition of
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Impacts of religious tourism at Sikh pilgrim center of Amritsar, India
environmental awareness is the first step taken to achieve sustainability and the ability to
understand the environment.
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Impacts of religious tourism at Sikh pilgrim center of Amritsar, India
Chapter 5
Discussion
This chapter presents the summary, discussion, and implications of the findings of
the study. In the first section, it will discuss the key findings from the result section, followed by
the limitation of the study, and are discussed next. Finally, the chapter concludes with
suggestions for future research.
5.1 Key Findings
Religious tourism is one of the critical sectors in the service industry, and the
religious heritage contributes to visitor attraction mainly in Amritsar. The experiences of the
tourist are valuable as re-visits are essential from an economic perspective. The study was an
endeavour to identifying the impact of religious tourism on people in Amritsar. The impacts of
religious tourism could be on the point of economic, socio-cultural, and environmental aspects,
both in positive and negative sides.
Economic Impacts
Economic impacts contributed both to positive and negative aspects. At the point of
the positive side, there was improving economic growth, income and generating job
opportunities for the people around the Golden Temple in Amritsar. Employment opportunities,
personal income and business opportunities are attributable to religious tourism not only through
the religious souvenir shops, hotels, restaurants but also through jobs directly connected to the
Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) management party of the Golden temple,
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Impacts of religious tourism at Sikh pilgrim center of Amritsar, India
which is a complex institution with political and economic power, both locally and nationally
(Government of Punjab, 2016; PUDA, 2012; Anand, 2019; Abakerli, 2017; Roy. 2013).
On the negative economic aspects, the research found that the development of hotels
and tourist destinations did not necessarily improve the transportation facilities. For example,
while analyzing the existing land use pattern for Amritsar city, it has been observed that the city
requires rationalization of different land uses to bring it to the level of prescribed norms. It
requires the provision of a larger area under industries and traffic and transportation categories
(PUDA, 2012). Furthermore, the city needs to manage the traffic on a priority basis, and there
should be separate lanes for auto-rickshaws as they are large in numbers and block the roads.
Moreover, the study also found that the price of goods and lands in the city was going to be more
expensive (Bureau, 2016; Kichloo. 2019; Shankar, 2016).
Socio-cultural impacts
Religious tourism has a significant influence on host societies. It can be both a source of
international amity, peace and understanding. The research finding indicates that in Amritsar,
religious tourism involves cross-cultural interaction among people of different nations and
religions, which helps in building better understanding and peaceful relations.
Moreover, religious tourism might cause a gradual change in society’s values, beliefs,
and cultural practices. For example, the local people may copy the lifestyles of tourists through
the demonstration effect, and the result may be interpreted positively as an increase in the
standard of living, it may also be considered negatively as an indication of acculturation the loss
of native customs and traditions.
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Impacts of religious tourism at Sikh pilgrim center of Amritsar, India
The research finds that religious tourism is contributing to the revitalization of arts, crafts
and local culture and the realization of cultural identity and heritage in Amritsar, for example,
the Phulkari Production Center and Thatheras community (Government of Punjab, 2016).
The sociocultural value of religious tourism may include a great sense of community
identity, a heightened sense of linking with local environments and increased social capital
following an increase in tourists. For example, in Amritsar, the existence of a religious tourism
destination improved the attitudes of residents toward accepting differences, improved their
understanding of other people’s habits, and allowed them to live healthier lives.
The research also finds that the Sikhism is Indigenous religion for people of Punjab
because Sikhs reside in Punjab for generations, and they possess a unique cultural and social
identity. For example, the Golden temple has the most extensive free community kitchen in the
world, which serves free meals to all people of all faiths (Jutla, 2016; SGPC, 2020). The founder
of the Sikh religion, Shri Guru Nanak Dev Ji, first started this service in 1481, which outlines the
basic Sikh principles of service, humility, and equality (Sikhs.Org, 2011). The free community
kitchen is managed on a 90% volunteer basis by the community and with the active involvement
of visitors (Pandey & Singh, 2015).
However, a booming tourism market also exerts the negative socio-cultural impacts
on host communities, for instance, local culture and traditional values may be weakened by the
acculturation and the rapid growth of the number of tourists could, however, put too much
pressure on the infrastructure and could ruin the experience of the tourists (Jaspal, 2016; Jutla,
2016; Gateway to Sikh Foundation, 2020).
Architectural and historical sites need to be restored and protected in Amritsar, to
attract more tourists. Moreover, the city requires the creation of many recreational and open
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Impacts of religious tourism at Sikh pilgrim center of Amritsar, India
spaces and an increased number of socio-cultural institutions that, at present, are absent to
improve the quality of living in the city (PUDA, 2012).
However, to ensure a smooth transition, the authorities need to continue the
investments in infrastructure and to provide a more diversified range of tourism attractions to
bring more tourists and to make them stay longer and spend more in the local economy.
Environmental Impacts
The quality of the environment, both natural and human-made, is essential for
religious tourism. However, the relationship of religious tourism with the environment is
complicated. The negative impacts of religious tourism development can gradually destroy
environmental resources, lessen of outdoor spaces, and pollution problem.
Amritsar city is facing major environmental problems and issues in the process of
religious tourism. The research found that due to the heavy traffic in the Amritsar city, the
present infrastructure is not able to cope up the increased rush of tourists thus leading to
overcrowding, pollution, congestion and poor sanitation which may further lead to diseases both
the tourists as well as local people (Shergill & Thukral, 2009; PUDA, 2012; Kumar, 2015;
Sharma, 2017; Bagga, 2018). As over-crowding occurs, the host community finds itself under
higher pressure from visitors, a pressure which may change the rhythm of a community's
lifestyle. Access to shops and transport is difficult; prices are risen to take advantage of the
tourist’s presence, causing a knock-on effect for residents (Shegal, 2019; Jaspal, 2016).
Sikh communities like Eco Sikh all around the world are coordinating the people to
maintain the cleanliness of the holy city and the Golden temple. For example, the cleaning after
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Impacts of religious tourism at Sikh pilgrim center of Amritsar, India
the Nagar Kirtans and use of Styrofoam disposables, and wrappers in Langar to keeping the
ecological health of the city in mind (Eco Sikh, 2014; Sikh Org, 2011).
The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee and the Municipal Corporation of
Amritsar are working simultaneously to achieve improved levels of cleanliness and
implementing international standards of sanitation and hygiene around the Golden temple, for
example, establishes an integrated Solid Waste Management (SWM) system, building additional
toilets and enhancing existing public toilets, installation of drinking water stations, smart waste
collection bins and waste treatment facilities and services (Abakerli, 2017; PUDA, 2012).
Moreover, the SGPC also plans to switch the Golden temple free community kitchen moved
to a solar power system. The solar energy would not only reduce the use of wood, which is the
primary source of pollution but would also help in reducing the expenses on LPG cylinders
(Hindustan Times, 2017).
Based on the findings of the study, the contribution of local government, industry,
and educational institutions is essential. It is evident in the research that the local and national
government of Amritsar and Punjab is creating and taking the different initiatives to improve the
cleanliness of the city, but there is a mismatch between the supply of funding for cleanliness and
the current demand due to lack of proper planning ( Abakerli, 2017).
The findings of the study suggested that practical plans and policies must be revised to
solve the existing problems and issues. Further, attention must be payable to the approaches and
principles which are used to deal with the environmental effects of religious tourism
development in Amritsar.
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Impacts of religious tourism at Sikh pilgrim center of Amritsar, India
5.2 Limitations
Limitations for this research revolved primarily around the data collected and analyzed.
To effectively interpret the results of this research, it is vital to acknowledge these limitations.
The following are the limitations of the research.
The massive gap in the literature on religious tourism in Punjab within the Amritsar
context was one of the most significant limitations to this study. It was challenging to compare
the findings of this study to existing literature, which directly impacts the results of the study.
The second limitation was related to the research method—the data used in the research
collected from only one online platform. Future studies should incorporate a larger sample size
rather than using just one data source. Larger sample size would provide more reliable, insightful
results regarding the impacts of Religious tourism in Amritsar. Furthermore, future research may
gather information from other data collection methodologies such as interviews or surveys.
Although this study has some limitations, it provides some valuable direction for future
research. Researchers building on this study will be able to examine the impacts of religious
tourism in the context of Amritsar, India.
5.3 Suggestions
From all the study and the collected material, it has become evident that Punjab has done
a lot for maintaining, restructuring, and repairing its famous holy city. At the same time, it
became evident, too, that the management of religious tourism in Amritsar has many
deficiencies. To help to improve it the following suggestions, resulting from the present study,
can be of interest for all the stakeholders of tourism, especially religious tourism in Amritsar:
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Impacts of religious tourism at Sikh pilgrim center of Amritsar, India
Educate Local Communities: Firstly, a tourist awareness and community relations
program should be a launch to educate the local community members and inform them about the
impacts of religious tourism such as economic, socio-cultural, and environmental.
At the same time, it is also essential to show the local communities how they can
participate in the management, operation, and ownership of the tourist facilities in their
respective areas. The objective behind the program should be to create goodwill and a positive
attitude among the local communities, particularly the landowners who live in that area.
Secondly, the relevant government department or organizations need to be better trained
their local tour guides, especially in the field of religious tourism, so that the information given is
accurate and in more languages. They should offer that type of service which increase tourists’
satisfaction levels. For example, the activities provided at the holy sites should be familyfriendly because most people who visit the sites are with their families. In this way, TripAdvisor
participants would then share additional positive reviews online, and the destination would
attract more visitors.
Ecological balance: Moreover, it should consider how to balance socio-cultural,
economic, and environmental benefits. The balance is not natural to achieve, but if tourism
organizations keep this balance in mind, it will be equipped to consider many aspects and set
requirements before taking the actions. For instance, they should ensure that the price of services
and products is reasonable. They also need to enhance transportation options so that
transportation is convenient. Moreover, they should increase their service capacity to reduce
visitors' waiting time. All these aspects would help Amritsar develop its religious tourism
industry more effectively and sustainably.
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Impacts of religious tourism at Sikh pilgrim center of Amritsar, India
5.4 Conclusion
The primary purpose of this research paper was to investigate the economic, sociocultural, and environmental impacts of religious tourism in Amritsar. The city has a rich cultural
heritage, ethnicity and decorative features that attract not only the local people but also the
people from other countries.
On the other hand, Amritsar faces some problems such as overcrowding, congestion,
pollution and problems experienced by the individuals in the making of decisions regarding
which places to visit. Moreover, there are various kinds of improvements and developments that
have initiated in the areas of transportation, infrastructural facilities, and that have generated
space for more occasions and prospects. There has been a productive contribution from the
governments, private sector and voluntary organizations that have become active partners to
accomplish the sustainable development of the tourism industry in Amritsar.
The impacts were both positive and negative sides. Positive economic aspects showed that
people had better income, new job opportunities, and the economy grows. The negative
economic aspects indicated that the development of hotels and tourist destinations did not
necessarily improve transportation facilities. Moreover, the price of goods and services in the
city of Amritsar was going to be more expensive.
The socio-cultural impacts of establishing hotels and tourists showed that people were
accustomed to interacting with tourists. They were able to accept differences and had a better
understanding of the habits of people outside their country as well. Furthermore, religious
tourism in Amritsar has not affected the community negatively in terms of eroding their cultural
values. For instance, they have not, in any way, be discouraged from carrying out their cultural
activities like cultural dances and beliefs in the community.
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Impacts of religious tourism at Sikh pilgrim center of Amritsar, India
From the point of environmental view, the people felt that the appearance of some areas
improved in Amritsar. There are negative impacts on the city due to tourism, such as the
depletion of artifacts, pollution, the limitation of open spaces, being lack of a well-maintained
natural environment, and plants.
The results strongly agree that the cleanliness area was well maintained, raising
environmental awareness, protection, and preservation of the environment. However, there is
still a lot pending to make balance the different aspects to achieve sustainable development of
Religious tourism in Amritsar.
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Impacts of religious tourism at Sikh pilgrim center of Amritsar, India
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