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Folia Geographica 2020, 62/2, pp. 71-86

DESTINATION IMAGE FOR PILGRIMAGE AND TOURISM: A STUDY IN MOUNT KAILASH REGION OF TIBET

Premangshu CHAKRABARTY A*, Sanjoy Kumar SADHUKHAN B

Received: April 28, 2020 | Revised: September 15, 2020 | Accepted: October 12, 2020

Paper No. 20-62/2-567

A* Visva Bharati University, Faculty of Geography, Santiniketan, Bolpur, West Bengal, India
drpremangshuindia@gmail.com (corresponding author)

B Visva Bharati University, Research Scholar of Geography, Santiniketan, Bolpur, West Bengal, India
sks.geo86@gmail.com

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Abstract
The study focuses on rituals performed during Kailash – Manasarover pilgrimage while investigating travel motivation aspects and the satisfaction level of visitors. Circumambulation of Mount Kailash and bathing in sacred Manasarover Lake of western Tibet are popular pilgrimage tourism rituals for which journeys are made annually despite of terrain hardship and adverse climatic condition. We have used ethnographic methods in collection of field data that include personal interviews, focus group discussions, questionnaire surveys and online surveys. One of the objectives of the study is to address the research gap on the role of destination image that motivates the devotees of different religious background to undertake such pilgrimage. We also pay attention on attributes that influence the selection of the individual pilgrimage routes initiated from Indian territory. The method adopted for analysis is qualitative involving software support for mapping. The discussion reveals the evolution of a distinctive cultural landscape that encourages pluralism with reference to a sustainable mechanism of coexistence for the pilgrimage tourism development.

Key words
Circumambulation, sacred, ritual, pilgrim tourists, route, landscape, pluralism

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