Case 2: What is the approximate annual visitor count to the holy city of Puri? Executive Summary Factors contributing tourism Factors contributing to tourism Did You Know ! When the wind blows in one direction, the flag atop the Jagannath Temple flutters in the opposite direction. DEFINITION characteristics Guesstimate Explaination Fact Corner Executive Summary In the case of temple economies in India, the focus is on religious tourism where temples serve as major attractions drawing pilgrims and tourists alike. Puri, located in the eastern state of Odisha, is famous for the Jagannath Temple, one of the Char Dham pilgrimage sites for Hindus. The economy of Puri revolves around the temple, with a significant portion of the population engaged in activities related to tourism and hospitality. Puri draws almost half of the total visitors to Odisha. Of about 1.15 crore visitors to the state in 2015, about 42 lakh paid a visit to Puri. Cities like Ayodhya and Puri, the temple economy plays a crucial role in driving local development and providing livelihoods to the residents. The temple attracts a large number of devotees and tourists throughout the year, especially during the annual Rath Yatra festival. The city has a range of accommodations, eateries, and souvenir shops to cater to the needs of visitors. OBJECTIVES Assess the economic significance of the Jagannath Temple and its surrounding areas in Puri, including its contribution to local GDP, employment generation, and revenue generation for the government. Evaluate the factors influencing visitor behavior and preferences, such as religious significance, cultural attractions, accessibility, and quality of visitor amenities. Quantify the annual number of visitors to the Jagannath Temple in Puri, including both pilgrims and tourists, and analyze trends over the past years to understand patterns of visit and seasonality. FACTORS CONTRIBUTING to TOURISM Pilgrimage Tourism: Puri's temple economy thrives on pilgrimage tourism, with devotees visiting the Jagannath Temple throughout the year, particularly during festivals like Rath Yatra. The influx of pilgrims fuels demand for accommodation, food, transportation, and other services, stimulating economic activity in the region. Executive Summary In Hindu mythology, wasting food is considered a bad sign; the Temple crew follows the same. A total number of people visiting the temple varies between 2,000 to 2,00,000 people every day. Miraculously, the Parsadam prepared every day is never wasted, not even a bite. Factors contributing tourism Factors contributing to toursim Guesstimate Religious Significance: The Jagannath Temple holds immense religious importance for Hindus, being one of the Char Dham pilgrimage sites. The temple's association with Lord Jagannath, a form of Lord Vishnu, attracts millions of devotees and pilgrims from across India and around the world. Bathing in the sea at Puri and visiting the Jagannath Temple are believed to be spiritually rewarding. Seconds, after you put the first step inside the temple from Singha Dwara entrance, the audibility to the ocean waves is entirely lost. Marketing Initiatives Both traditional and digital channels are utilized to raise awareness about the destination, highlight its unique offerings, and encourage visitation, thereby stimulating economic activity and revenue generation. Community participation: Local communities in Puri actively participate in the temple economy through various means, including offering services as priests, guides, artisans, vendors, and hospitality providers. Community engagement and involvement are essential for sustaining the cultural authenticity and vibrancy of Puri's temple economy. Government Support: Policies and initiatives aimed at improving connectivity, preserving heritage sites, and enhancing visitor amenities contribute to the growth and sustainability of the temple economy. Fact Corner In 2021-22 there was a revenue surplus of Rs 21 crore apart. The revenue income is pegged at Rs 106 crore while expenditure is estimated at Rs 85 crore. According to tourism officials, 80% of the domestic and international tourists who visit Odisha annually usually tour Puri. Altogether 78,67,909 domestic and 22,121 foreign tourists visited Odisha in 2022, statistics of the state tourism department stated. FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TOURISM The annual Rath Yatra, or Chariot Festival, is a major event where the deities of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra, and Subhadra are taken out in a grand procession on chariots. This captivates tourists from far and wide, offering them a vibrant cultural experience steeped in spirituality and tradition. Executive Summary Factors contributing tourism Factors contributing to tourism Guesstimate Gundicha Temple is another important pilgrimage site in Puri. It is believed to be the home of Lord Jagannath's aunt during the Rath Yatra. About an hour's drive from Puri, Chilika Lake is Asia's largest brackish water lagoon and a haven for birdwatchers. It's home to a variety of bird species, including flamingos, herons, and pelicans. Culture & Food: The local fisher-folk add a unique charm to Puri, making it a haven for culture and seafood. It is also known for its delicious food and sweets Puri Beach Festival is an annual beach festival celebrated on the golden sea beach of Puri near Swargadwara every year during November month for 5 days.This delightful cultural festival has been able to attract numerous tourist and participants from across the globe Puri's Golden Beach is one of the most popular beaches on the eastern coast of India, known for its golden sands and clear waters. It's a great place for swimming, sunbathing, and enjoying water sports Puri is home to many natural wonders, including the longest golden beach in the world, and Chilika Lake, the biggest inland salt-water lake in Asia Longest golden beach: Chandrabhaga Beach, one of the finest, cleanest and greenest beaches in eastern India, it is located at Chandrabhaga village which is just three km away from the 13th-century Sun Temple at Konark, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Fact Corner An interesting thing to witness while in the premises is that at no time of the day, the shadow of the temple falls on the ground. Unlike other temple structures where birds can be seen sitting at the top, not a single bird can be seen resting or flying above the spire of the temple. Not even aircrafts can be seen flying over the temple. n the kitchen of the temple, there are about 250 hearths, where 56 food items for almost 20,000 people are cooked daily and 50,000 people on special occasions and not even a bite gets wasted GUESSTIMATE Executive Summary Factors contributing tourism Experts predict a continued rise in domestic tourism: Driven by pent-up demand, growing disposable incomes, and government initiatives to promote domestic travel. Foreign tourism recovery is likely to be slower: Dependent on global travel trends, economic conditions, and easing of visa restrictions. Base year - 2019-20, normal year before pandemic FACTS HISTORICAL DATA During the year 2020-21, the number of tourist footfalls in Odisha was recorded at 23,77,175 and 78,90,030 in 2022. Guesstimate ESTIMATES Estimated tourist footfalls in 2023 in odisha (using simple regression) will be 1,30,24,854 approx and 50% of it will be 6512427. Recent happening: 1st Jan 2024 - 5 lakh devotees to Puri . Stats show increase in the number of devotees all around the country, visiting different Holy places since the beginning of 2024 with a spiritual drive created by Ram Mandir. Conservative Approach : Comparision As per the statistics compiled by the state tourism department, there has been an 875% growth in the inflow of foreign tourists and 110% growth in domestic visitors to Odisha last year as compared to 2021. A staggering 10 lakh people crowded Grand Road, braving intense heat and humidity to witness the sibling deities — Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra . Of about 1.15 crore visitors to the state in 2022, about 42 lakh paid a visit to Puri. According to the data shared by the government in 2021, nearly 9 lakh people attended the Rath Yatra and 10 lakh people in 2022. The Jagannath Temple in Puri witnessed an unprecedented footfall of over 5 lakh devotees on the first day of 2024. So, our guess is that around 75 - 85 L lakh tourists would be visitig in the yaer of 2024 with the most number of tourists coming in the month of June or July for the Rath Yatra, estimating to be around 11-12 lakhs with an average increase of 10 to 12% seen annualy from previous yaers. Growth rate - 0.7% based on 2019 data Predictions: Jan June: 67.5L - 68L July-Dec: 87L - 88L Total in Odisha: 162 - 166L in 2024 Puri: 50% - 81 - 83L Optimistic Approach: Average Growth Rate: 3.5% ( overall change in 2019 - 0.68% but for JULY - DEC 3-4% ) Jan - June: 68L - 70L July - Dec: 90L - 92L Total in Odisha in 2024: 158 - 162L Puri: 50% 79L - 81L Assumptions: All the findings are based on historical data taken from different sources. Puri draws almost half of the total visitors to Odisha. The domestic tourist flow at Puri is based on two types, such as Hotel occupancy and another is Day visitors. Here the hotel occupancy is the numbers of tourist who arrive at Puri and then live in hotels some days, a week or a month. Then the day visitors are the tourists who arrive at Puri in a day and go to their home on same day, or the hotel occupancy is also merged with this day visitors Thank You ! Group Members: Avi Shrivastava Ishika Gupta Bhavya Modi
