The impact of pilgrim tourism on the bilateral diplomacy of India and Nepal and the mediation effect of people-to-people contact

Abstract

The present article aims to analyse the impact of pilgrim tourism on bilateral relations and to identify the mediating effect of people-to-people contact. It further proposes to test the framework empirically in the neighbouring context of India and Nepal. To achieve the objective, random sampling is used, and 380 usable questionnaires are taken for testing the theoretical framework. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) is used to assess the framework's fit and analyse the impact of pilgrim tourism on bilateral diplomatic relations while using people-to-people contact as a mediating variable. The study findings reveal that pilgrim tourism has a direct impact on improving the bilateral diplomatic relationship between India and Nepal. It also shows that people-to-people contact between India and Nepal acts as a mediating variable between pilgrim tourism and bilateral diplomacy. In a vast country like India, which shares a border with many nations, pilgrim tourism and people-to-people contact have great potential to remove barriers and increase bilateral treaties for better development of the nation. The present research developed a measurement instrument about bilateral relations from the stakeholder's perspective. It also proposed a structural model to elucidate the relationships between pilgrim tourism, people-to-people contact and bilateral diplomacy.

To Utilize Structural Equation Modelling to Investigate the Impact of Cross-border Tourism on Regional Cooperation: The Mediating Effect of Community Support

“…Tourism promotes participatory peacemaking to foster mutual understanding and cooperation among cultures (Causevic, 2010;Wani et al, 2022). There are many reasons why regional assimilation can be achieved through the territorial cooperation process, which is considered a fundamental political procedure to reduce the barriers posed by all kinds of borders and to promote territorial development (Knippschild, 2011;Dada et al, 2022). Depending on the region's characteristics, the mix of available resources, the strategies and activities devoted to promoting tourism, and cross-border collaboration, tourism can catalyze economic development in cross-border regions (European Commission, 2000).…”

“…Interacting with other people and exchanging ideas is at the heart of tourism's mission to foster understanding and decrease barriers between different cultures (Sharma et al, 2018). Several empirical studies have demonstrated the importance of tourism in promoting peace (e.g., Kim and Prideaux, 2006;Cho, 2007;Dada et al, 2022). Due to reduced transit costs, cross-border tourism helps to construct infrastructure, improving trade flows (Setnikar Cankar et al, 2014).…”

“…Due to bilateral trade, more people are moving across borders, which could lead to long-term peace and benefit the local community (Kozak and Buhalis, 2019;Kanwal et al, 2020). An increased understanding of each other may result from joint cross-border projects managed by both countries (Blatter, 2004;Dada et al, 2022). By encouraging cross-border tourism, geographically close countries can benefit more from increased bilateral commercial interdependence.…”

“…While tourism is not the only option for revitalizing border regions, it can be enhanced by the area's general growth, and, reciprocally, tourism can aid in creating investment opportunities in a variety of other sectors of the economy (Badulescu et al, 2014). Community support and person-to-person contact enhance tourism development and improve the bilateral diplomatic relations between the nations (Dada et al, 2022). Recognizing peoples' perspectives enables the establishment of policies that mitigate the negative impacts of tourism development while increasing its profits, leading to the progress of the community and increased support for it (Prayag et al, 2013).…”

“…A substantial body of research examines the relationship between locals' perceptions and their support for tourism development (e.g., Gursoy et al, 2010;Nunkoo and Ramkissoon, 2011;Baniya et al, 2018). It was observed that pilgrim tourism and people-to-people contact between nations can aid to improve bilateral diplomatic relations (Dada et al, 2022). However, the impact of cross-border tourism development on bilateral trade agreements and collaboration between or among neighboring nations is not well-documented empirically.…”