Perception and Satisfaction of Tourists Towards Bodh Gaya as a Sacred Tourism Destination

Tourism is one of the largest growing industries in the world and has the onus of sustaining the world economy. The fulfillment of this responsibility is not possible unless there is sustainable tourism development from the perspective of ‘people, planet and profit’. A higher level of development in the tourism sector contributes positively to the tourist satisfaction level. Keeping in view the area of spectacular ancient temples, monuments, and stupas the tourist is now choosing Bodh Gaya as their best choice of tourist destination. In the year 2002, the inclusion of the Mahabodhi Temple Complex in the list of world heritage sites brought Bodh Gaya to the cultural map of the world. The people of Bodh Gaya are mainly getting livelihood from tourism. So, the satisfaction of tourists become the major concern for better livelihood opportunity. Bodh Gaya is a religious site and place of pilgrimage and is famous as it is the place where Gautama Buddha is said to have attained enlightenment under what became known as the Bodhi Tree. The present study is concerned with examining the profile of tourists visiting the study area, their travel choice, and underlying their satisfaction with destination attributes. It is measured with the 12 selected indicators and processed through the satisfaction index method. The study is based on primary data collected through a field survey, based on questionnaire method, and interviewing the tourists. All the indicators are then ranked from 1 to 12 as per tourists’ opinions. The results represent which indicators are not satisfactory in the area and hence planners and hence provide a direction of action for planners and policymakers. The paper also suggests ways like provision for more good quality budget accommodations, the opening of a marketing complex branded as “Paryatan Bazar”, establishing an effective mechanism for maintaining cleanliness at the pilgrimage centers, etc. The finding suggests that the present status of tourism in Bodh Gaya requires improvement on the part of management to offer a quality experience to the visitors.