Tourism and the geopolitics of Buddhist heritage in Nepal

Bhandari, Kalyan

doi:10.1016/j.annals.2018.12.006

Cited by 29 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 113 publications

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“…Richerson and Christiansen (2013, p. 23) and Lewens (2015, p. 147) claimed that past regional culture acclaims religion and explains the observations [159,160]. There are several natural sites, vibrant local cultures and UNESCO World Heritage Sites and Pakistan hope to develop sustainable tourism [161]. In this study, we identified three key dimensions of religiosity: religious belief, religious commitment, religious practice, and these findings are consistent with those of preceding studies, suggesting the existence of these two fundamental dimensions of individuals' religiosity [88,89].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Influence of Islamic Religiosity on the Perceived Socio-Cultural Impact of Sustainable Tourism Development in Pakistan: A Structural Equation Modeling Approach

et al. 2019

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Typically, residents play a role in developing strategies and innovations in tourism. However, few studies have sought to understand the role of Islamic religiosity on the perceived socio-cultural impacts of sustainable tourism development in Pakistan. Previous studies focusing on socio-cultural impacts as perceived by local communities have applied various techniques to explain the relationships between selected variables. Circumstantially, the structural equation modeling (SEM) technique has gained little attention for measuring the religiosity factors affecting the perceived socio-cultural impacts of sustainable tourism. This investigation aims to address such limitations in this area of scientific knowledge by applying Smart PLS-SEM, developing an empirical approach, and implementing Smart-PLS software V-3.2.8. The proposed tourism model predicts the effects of the religiosity level on the perceived socio-cultural impacts of sustainable tourism development. In this study, we examine the relationships among religious commitments, religious practice, and religious belief and the socio-cultural effects of sustainable tourism. Our research identifies influential factors through an extensive literature review on communities’ religiosity and the socio-cultural impacts of developing sustainable tourism. We examine and analyze data based on 508 residents’ responses. The findings reveal an R² value of 0.841, suggesting three exogenous latent constructs, which collectively elucidate 84.10% of the variance in the perceived socio-cultural impact of sustainable tourism. The findings reveal that religious respondents with a higher religiosity level have a positive attitude towards developing sustainable tourism. These findings are helpful to understand the dynamics of communities’ perceptions, behaviors, quality of life, cultural aspects, and religiosity factors affecting sustainable tourism in Pakistan. This study is novel in the context of Pakistani cultural and social norms, and this study’s implications may provide further direction for researching and developing sustainable tourism in the northern regions of Pakistan.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Influence of Islamic Religiosity on the Perceived Socio-Cultural Impact of Sustainable Tourism Development in Pakistan: A Structural Equation Modeling Approach

et al. 2019

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“…There are criteria to guarantee the principle of reciprocity, meaning that not only does the number of Chinese tourists to other countries increase, but the number of visitors from other countries comes to China. Additionally, according to Hall (2017a;in Bhandari, 2019), geopolitics is important in tourism because; i) tourism is implicitly geopolitical activity; and, ii) on many occasions' tourism is subject to the outcomes of the geopolitical activity. In such a situation a geopolitical approach to tourism allows us to better -understand world politics in terms of the ways in which elites and publics actively construct the spaces of political action that are then the medium for the policies of states and other actors‖ (Agnew, 2010cited in Hannam, 2013.…”

Section: China Outbound Tourism: a Tool Of Soft Powermentioning

confidence: 99%

“…One such attraction is the pilgrimage to Mt Kailash and Mansarovar in Tibet which is of great religious significance to a large number of Hindus in India, and to which Nepal offers a more convenient traveling route (Bhandari, 2019, p.67). Thus, a geopolitical perspective in tourism can provide important insights -on these interrelated practices by enabling nuanced studies of how, for instance, issues of territoriality, representation, and power over destinations become critical sites of struggle for economic and political sovereignty‖ (Mostafanezhad & Norum, 2016, p. 227;in Bhandari, 2019). One such site of struggle is Lumbini, Nepal as the other important aspect of geopolitics and tourism in the region is Buddhism.…”

Section: Geopolitics and Tourismmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…One such site of struggle is Lumbini, Nepal as the other important aspect of geopolitics and tourism in the region is Buddhism. In 2011, a Chinese non-governmental organization named the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation and Exchange Foundation (APECEF) came up with a proposal to invest three billion US$ in Lumbini, the birthplace of Gautama Buddha, aimed at making it a tourism hub and a -Mecca for Buddhists‖ (Economist, 2011;in Bhandari, 2019). The tourism development plan included building an airport, hotels, convention centers, a highway, Buddhist temples and a Buddhist university in Lumbini.…”

Section: Geopolitics and Tourismmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The aforementioned initiatives are emphasized as the -Chinese dream‖ in international politics. Chinese dream refers to the social and political ideology proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping, which entails aspirations like attaining well-being and happiness to achieving respected Great Power status, social unity and national success (Bhandari, 2019). The massive Chinese investment in South Asian region has increased Beijing's influence in South Asian neighborhoods (Wagner, 2017;in Pandit, 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Tourism: A Tool for Track-two Diplomacy in Promoting People-to-People Relations Between Nepal and China

Karki¹

2020

J. APF Command & Staff Coll.

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This paper is a treatise on how citizen diplomacy between Nepal and China could be leveraged by adapting tourism industry as a track two intermediary sector. Believing that the apparent insufficiencies and repudiation created during inter-governmental deliberation through track-one diplomacy could be enhanced through track-two diplomacy as an effective measure, this paper attempts to recognize the role of tourism industry in establishing alternative political channel of communication which pulls the cooperation of track one decision-making that benefits people of Nepal and China. Both nations can draw strength from the diversity that prevails irrespective of uneven size, power potential, historical complexes and different speed in the development. This paper also tries to address the gap in the academic arguments regarding the conceptualization, essence, and practicability of citizen diplomacy in foreign policy processes and explores multiple micro-level themes and actors enhancing citizen diplomacy through the tourism industry in the context of Nepal-China relationships. Based on the aforementioned scene, the researcher situates the experience as an exchange fellow student, vis-à-vis tourism and the peace-through-tourism idea and mention ways of people-to-people engagement for multiple stakeholders.

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Sacred Spaces and the ‘Other’: Social Distance, Functional Distance, and Two Pilgrimage Sites in Asia

Timothy

Olsen

2023

Perspectives on Asian Tourism

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Tourism and the geopolitics of Buddhist heritage in Nepal

Cited by 29 publications

References 113 publications

The Influence of Islamic Religiosity on the Perceived Socio-Cultural Impact of Sustainable Tourism Development in Pakistan: A Structural Equation Modeling Approach

The Influence of Islamic Religiosity on the Perceived Socio-Cultural Impact of Sustainable Tourism Development in Pakistan: A Structural Equation Modeling Approach

Tourism: A Tool for Track-two Diplomacy in Promoting People-to-People Relations Between Nepal and China

Sacred Spaces and the ‘Other’: Social Distance, Functional Distance, and Two Pilgrimage Sites in Asia

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