Lumbini, the revered birthplace of Lord Buddha, has set a new benchmark in global tourism by welcoming close to 1.2 million visitors in 2024, according to the Lumbini Development Trust. Of them, 760,000 were Nepali nationals, followed by over 266,000 Indian visitors. Likewise, 111,000 international tourists visited Lumbini – mainly from Sri Lanka, China, Thailand and Vietnam. Lumbini is very much on course to establish itself as an international pilgrimage and cultural hub. Amid this comes yet another happy news for Nepal and Lumbini: The birthplace of Lord Buddha has been listed as one of the top 10 places to go in 2025, by the world famous daily newspaper, The New York Times. The list includes 52 places and Lumbini ranks 9th. Visit new temples and meditation centers at an ancient pilgrimage site, nytimes.com tells tens of millions of its global audience. As Lumbini Development Trust's member secretary Sanuraja Shakya pronounced being placed 9th is a great achievement for the country. It certainly is. The NY Times recommendation is expected to spread a positive message in promoting external and internal tourism by promoting Lumbini worldwide.
The Trust believes that after being included on this list, tourists will visit Lumbini not only from Buddhist countries but also from other countries. Lumbini's historical importance and its serene environment attract tourists from all over the world. Tourism professionals believe that this project will help attract tourists, as Lumbini, which is important from a religious and cultural point of view, is the choice of practically every individual tourist visiting Nepal. As the birthplace of Buddha, Lumbini is one of the most important holy sites in the world, where there are many monuments of Buddhist and historical importance. Lumbini has become a pilgrimage site filled with ancient ruins and contemporary Buddhist centers. Ten years down the road since the devastating earthquake of 2015, Lumbini today boasts of new temples and meditation centers. The newly-built Thousand Buddha Temple, a three-level, Tibetan-style structure adorned with three 16-foot golden Buddha statues and more than 1,000 other Buddha statues are among the Temple's prized possessions. This year, the town will also be welcoming the Indian International Center for Buddhist Culture and Heritage, a carbon-neutral, lotus-shaped building with meditation and exhibition rooms. Renovation work is also set to begin on the Ramagrama Stupa, a UNESCO-listed temple site from the sixth century B.C., located about 30 miles from Lumbini. Italian architect Stefano Boeri is learned to have provided the restoration design plan for the Stupa.
Guterres' visit to Lumbini raises hopes for tourism promotion
Nepal has tremendous tourism potential around the year. The best months to visit Nepal depends on the kind of experiences the visitors like to have. The country offers eight of the world's 14 tallest peaks (over 8000 meters), the tourist valley of Pokhara has for decades been the top must-visit place both for domestic and foreign tourists. Now that the world heritage site of Lumbini makes it to the NY Times list, the number of international tourists is sure to grow through 2025 and in the years to come. This is a very happy piece of news as Nepal’s tourism starts to bounce back to the pre-COVID-19 level. While the other sectors of the national economy continue to suffer, the hospitality industry seems to come to rescue. One of the long-term goals of the Visit Nepal Decade (2023-2033) is to establish Nepal as a leading destination in the global tourism market and, for now, we are pretty much on the right track.
