A geospatial approach to enhance religious tourism in India—A case of Ujjain city, Madhya Pradesh

Abstract

Religious tourism has been in practice for centuries in India. There are several religious tourist spots spread across India that belong to different religions, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, and Islam. Ujjain city is located in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, and has been selected as a case study for this paper because of its 5000 year long history. Considering the importance of the city from the aspect of religious tourism, this paper aims to address the issue of improving the universal accessibility status of Ujjain city in the context of the mobility of a religious tourist with disability. This research addresses an overarching research question: Can GIS technology enhance religious tourism for the visitor with disability in Ujjain city? In this research, an accessibility assessment was performed using universal access audit checklist. Accessibility and related approaches such as “Inclusive Design” or “Design for All,” aims to produce systems that can be used by everyone, regardless of their physical or cognitive skills. The entire road network of Ujjain city was digitized in GIS platform. Major road stretches were selected and an accessibility audit was performed using a purpose made checklist suitable in the Indian context. The Multiple Criteria Evaluation technique in GIS environment is utilized, with a map showing hierarchy of accessible zones prepared for Ujjain city. The map would help the local authority to make Ujjain city more accessible for differently abled and aged visitors. Improvement in tourism would result in high revenue generation ultimately benefitting the city residents. Moreover, the proposed technique may be adopted by other such cities endowed with religious destinations as India is a land of several religions.