Guides go extra mile for the domestic tourists in Banaras

                                    By : Meera Vohra

Badlta Banaras is a tagline that is emphatically being used by all and sundry to put forth their view point, both who give thumbs up to the development work in the city and those who frown on the real Banaras being tampered with.  This badlta element however is more pronounced in the tourism industry that is still grappling with the large footfall and the changed demography of the travellers coming to the city in the last few years. With the city attracting more tourists than Goa  last year (according to a data provided by a private agency), and the domestic tourists outnumbering many folds than the foreign tourists has completely changed the fabric of tourism in the city. Inauguration of Kashi Vishwanath Corridor and the city grabbing the headlines quite frequently being PM’s constituency, is largely what is drawing the domestic travellers, feel the experts of the tourism sector.  

Earlier the domestic tourists who visited the city were of a certain milieu. You rarely came across salon styled, brand vouching individuals stepping in this part of the world. These metro bred domestic travelers are really adding to the tourism related revenue in the city but leaving the stakeholders of the tourism industry, especially the guides and tour operators in a quandary. Till now guiding was something foreign travelers mainly looked for but now many domestic travelers are employing their services to experience the city. Taking the foreign tourists around the city and making the Indian travelers savour the city requires a different set of skills ,feel the guiding fraternity.  

"Earlier catering largely to the foreign tourists we had a set itinerary of taking them for an early morning boat ride, attending the evening Ganga arti, a visit to Sarnath for some. They experienced the city but rather differently, while for the domestic travelers we go beyond just showing them the city. After the travel restrictions were lifted post-pandemic, there was a surge in domestic travelers coming to Varanasi. These tourists not only have religious reasons but are combining it with exploring the city, while planning their visit to Varanasi, so the services of guides and travel agencies are being utilized by them,” says Praveen Mehta, member of Varanasi Tourism Guild.

Defined as religious-fashion tourism by Abhishek Sankrit, Secretary, Association of Domestic Tour Operators of India, UP Chapter, says, “Religious tourism has always been in the city but the kind of movement of domestic travelers who are coming to Varanasi is going beyond just mandir darshan.  Most of these domestic travelers have a bucket list prepared that also includes places and activities which they have seen on the social media shared by the content creators or celebrities who have visited the city. So an earlier boatride enjoying the scenic beauty is now often coupled with relishing the Banarasi chaat  as many of them request for it.  So we have to ensure that they are served chaat in the best possible way while they soak in the beauty of the ghats."

 He adds "Bollywood being a great trend setter, a lot of young travelers want to visit places where popular films or songs have been filmed. Some visitors wanted to see the place and the lane where recent chartbuster song Kesariya from the film Brahmastra was shot. We had to arrange for a rudra abhishek on a   bajra (boat) for our customer who wanted to emulate actor Ajay Devgn in film Bholaa that was canned in Varanasi. Recreating the moment and putting them on their social media accounts is certainly is a great motivator for them. Infact they are always on the lookout for unique places that can turn out great in pictures so we are also exploring such locations or activity which we can sell to our customers.  The location of films comes quite handy which we can market to our clients.”

However some of the domestic travelers are really keen to know about the city’s history, culture, traditions, so heritage walks are also getting popular among them. “Earlier the foreign travelers mainly opted for such walks but now even the domestic tourists are eager to explore the city through such walks.  Such travelers do not merely want to get the feel of the city by sitting on a boat but want to see where the old Kashi was.  So right from khusti  akharas including that at Tulsi Ghat, they also want to see where poet Tulsidas lived.  Religious places which have some historical significance are also popular with them. Apart from the known places they want to visit the hidden treasures in the city. So we have to plan the itinerary accordingly and have in-depth knowledge of the places, which is a big challenge for the guides as well,” says Neelesh Sinha who runs a company engaged in heritage walks.

A special training session for the guides was organized to prep them for this changed scenario. “These guides were taken for a site visit of all the important monuments in the city and sessions were held to apprise them about the information regarding these sites. Services of experts, including academics, were taken to provide them information.  As domestic tourists want to see diverse places unlike the foreigners who have a set itinerary, it is essential for the guides to be well informed about the place including the location and route to be taken in addition to the basic information about it," says Praveen Mehta .