Gaya: The Association of Buddhist Tour Operators (ABTO) India and its Bhutan counterpart have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to strengthen cooperation in the tourism sector. The pact aims to promote Buddhist tourism circuits and facilitate greater tourist movement, particularly to Bodh Gaya, a key destination on the global Buddhist pilgrimage map.The agreement was signed on Thursday on the sidelines of the three-day Bhutan International Travel Mart (BITM) in Thimphu, attended by tourism stakeholders and delegates from 21 countries.ABTO Bihar chapter spokesperson Sudama Kumar, in a press release issued on Friday, said the MoU was signed by ABTO Bhutan president Kele Gasson and ABTO India founder secretary-general Kaulesh Kumar in the presence of vice-president Yuki Inoue, ABTO Bihar president Manish Kumar Mishra and other office-bearers.“The partnership will focus on expanding tourism linkages between India and Bhutan, improving travel coordination and jointly promoting Bodh Gaya as a major Buddhist pilgrimage destination,” Sudama said.He added that Bhutan’s minister for industry, commerce and tourism, Namgyal Dorji, inaugurated the BITM on Thursday along with Bhutan director of tourism Tomchu, Kele Gasson, Kaulesh Kumar and officials from the Indian embassy in Bhutan.Delegates from Japan, Nepal, Singapore, Thailand and Bangladesh, among other countries, participated in the event. Members of ABTO from several Indian states, including Bihar, Assam, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand and Rajasthan, also attended the event.Sudama said Bodh Gaya, one of the most important Buddhist sites in the world, remains a major attraction for international pilgrims, particularly from Bhutan and other Buddhist-majority countries. “The ABTO MoU is expected to strengthen institutional cooperation and increase tourist inflow to the heritage city,” he added.
