How is India Enhancing Buddhist Relations with ASEAN through Tourism and Sacred Relics Exhibitions?

New Delhi, July 24 (NationPress) India has notably strengthened its cultural and spiritual connections with Southeast Asia via a range of prominent initiatives focused on Buddhist heritage and tourism.

In the last two years, the government has organized two significant exhibitions of the Holy Relics of Lord Buddha.

The first exhibition took place in Thailand from February 22 to March 19, 2024, featuring relics of Buddha and his disciples across four locations, attracting over 4 million devotees, as reported by Union Minister for Tourism and Culture, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha.

The second exhibition, as per the minister, was held in Vietnam from May 2 to June 2, 2025, displaying relics from Nagarjunakonda, Andhra Pradesh, at nine sites during the Vesak celebrations, drawing an estimated 18 million visitors.

These initiatives have not only strengthened India’s civilizational links with Buddhist-majority nations but have also advanced cultural diplomacy within the context of ASEAN-India cooperation, the minister noted.

India is currently backing a feasibility study for the creation of an ASEAN Cultural Heritage List and has allocated 5 million US dollars from the ASEAN-India fund to support the ASEAN-India Year of Tourism in 2025.

The annual ASEAN-India Tourism Ministers’ Meeting continues to be a vital platform for dialogue and collaboration, he stated.

Moreover, a high-level Thai delegation visited Gujarat in June 2025, accompanied by Indian officials. Under the Mekong-Ganga Cooperation Plan of Action, the Ministry of External Affairs organized a nine-day familiarization trip to Buddhist sites for 50 participants from Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand, Myanmar, and Vietnam.

This tour, coordinated with the governments of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, aimed to promote India’s Buddhist circuit and enhance people-to-people connections.

The forthcoming International Tourism Mart in Sikkim will facilitate business networking between stakeholders from Northeast India and global buyers, including those from ASEAN nations.

While the development of tourism is primarily the responsibility of state governments and Union Territories, the Ministry of Tourism supports these efforts through central schemes like Swadesh Darshan, Swadesh Darshan 2.0, Challenge-Based Destination Development (CBDD), and PRASHAD. These schemes provide financial assistance for infrastructure development, subject to project proposals and fund availability.

In addition, under the Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment (SASCI), the central government has offered support for tourism projects, including those focused on Buddhist heritage, as informed by the minister.