Vietnam's Ambassador to India, Pham Sanh Chau, has expressed hope that footfall of domestic and international tourists to Bihar's Bodh Gaya will increase soon.
The Mahabodhi Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage site, reopened on August 27 after remaining closed since April this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Addressing members of Bodh Gaya Temple Advisory Board (BTAB) here on November 20, he said, "The Mahabodhi Temple is a matter of pride for the people of Bihar. Bodh Gaya is one of the most important Buddhist pilgrimage centres in the world. We are quite sure that footfall of both domestic and international tourists will soon increase." Ambassadors and consulate generals of the embassies of Bhutan, Thailand, South Korea, Myanmar and Sri Lanka also attended the BTAB meeting which was chaired by the Vietnam ambassador. The previous BTAB meeting was held on November 22, 2019.
"Issues such as security and development of Mahabodhi Temple and tourist facilities, promotion of tourism and increase in pilgrim footfall to Bodh Gaya, and air connectivity with Buddhist countries were discussed in the meeting," a senior official of the Bihar government said.
