Kushinagar airport to give major boost to religious tourism
GORAKHPUR: The Kushinagar international airport to be inaugurated by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday is expected to boost tourism in a big way.
Uttar Pradesh (UP) government officials said that an estimated 20 per cent rise in tourist arrivals is expected once the new airport is functional.
“According to immigration bureau over 42.17 lakh tourists from Buddhist countries visited Kushinagar in last five years. After direct air connectivity this figure is likely to go up significantly by 20 per cent,” read a statement released by government.
In presence of the Prime Minister, Kushinagar airport will witness arrival of its maiden flight from Sri Lanka on Wednesday carrying 125 passengers, including Sri Lankan President, Buddhist monks and followers.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath was personally monitoring the preparations, officials said.
Once fully functional, the Kushinagar airport will witness movement of both domestic and international flights, thus providing a major boost to religious tourism.
Kushinagar is very popular in Budhdhist countries and followers of Lord Buddha arrive in big numbers to this place also famous for Budhdha’s Parinirvana (the place where Buddha breathed his last).
Kushinagar is part of the Budhdhist circuit that links four important pilgrimage sites associated with Lord Buddha: Lumbini, Bodh Gaya, Sarnath and Kushinagar.
There were reports that the Airports Authority of India (AAI) was facing trouble in acquiring and required for setting up instrumental landing system, a aviation technology that enable planes to fly smoothly in case of poor visibility
caused by fog or rainy weather. When contacted officials said the matter would be resolved. “Talks are underway,” a district administration official said.