More rail options for Lankan pilgrims to India

The drop in global travel has not deterred Sri Lankan pilgrims visiting Buddhist sites in India, said Director/ General Manager, Hemas Travel, Riza Ahamat.

He said around 20,000 Lankan pilgrims travel to India every year. This number is increasing with better transport links and the growth in the Indian tourism sector.

"Inquiries have been made and many are looking forward to touring on the exclusive circuit train," he said.

Ahamat was speaking at a ceremony to commemorate the selection of Hemas Travels as the General Sales Agent for Indian Railway and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) which operates an exclusive Buddhist circuit special train.

The circuit pilgrimage season begins in October and lasts up to March during which the weather is conducive for long haul tours.

The seven night holy sojourn commences from Delhi and visits Bodhgaya, Nalanda, Rajgir, Varanasi, Sarnath, Lumbini, Sravasti Kushinagar and Agra.

Deputy General Manager IRCTC, Arun Srivastava said tourism is a major thrust area for IRCTC which is developing a spectrum of products and services that include the Bharat Darshan 'village on wheels' trains for the budget traveller.

The services included in the tour package are on board and offboard catering and house keeping, road transport by luxury coaches, sightseeing, tour escorts and hotel accommodation and meals and tickets to all locations. The train service which has been in operation since 2007 was recently presented the national tourism award of excellence by the Government of India.

Indian railways is one of the world's largest rail networks with a route length of nearly 64,000 km. The railway operates over 14,000 trains daily and transports around six billion passengers and nearly 750 million tonnes of freight annually.

IRCTC, a public sector enterprise under the Ministry of Railways was set up in 2001 with the aim of professionalising catering services and promoting tourism.

(LF)