New Delhi, July 24 : India has significantly deepened its cultural and spiritual ties with Southeast Asia through a series of high-profile initiatives centred around Buddhist heritage and tourism.

Over the past two years, the government has facilitated two major expositions of the Holy Relics of Lord Buddha.

The first, held in Thailand from February 22 to March 19, 2024, showcased relics of Buddha and his disciples across four venues, drawing over 4 million devotees, Union Minister for Tourism and Culture, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, informed the Rajya Sabha in a written reply.

The second, the minister said, hosted in Vietnam from May 2 to June 2, 2025, featured relics from Nagarjunakonda, Andhra Pradesh, displayed at nine locations during Vesak celebrations, attracting an estimated 18 million visitors.

These efforts have not only reinforced India's civilisational bonds with Buddhist-majority nations but also advanced cultural diplomacy under the ASEAN-India cooperation framework, said the minister in the reply.

India is currently supporting a feasibility study for the development of an ASEAN Cultural Heritage List and has committed 5 million US dollars from the ASEAN-India fund to support the ASEAN-India Year of Tourism in 2025.

The annual ASEAN-India Tourism Ministers' Meeting continues to serve as a platform for dialogue and collaboration, he said.

In a further gesture of spiritual outreach, a high-level Thai delegation visited Gujarat in June 2025, accompanied by Indian representatives. Under the Mekong-Ganga Cooperation Plan of Action, the Ministry of External Affairs organised a nine-day familiarisation trip to Buddhist sites for 50 participants from Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand, Myanmar, and Vietnam.

The tour, conducted in coordination with the governments of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, aimed to promote India's Buddhist circuit and foster people-to-people connections.

The upcoming International Tourism Mart in Sikkim will include business networking between Northeast Indian stakeholders and global buyers, including ASEAN nations.

While tourism development is primarily the responsibility of state governments and UT (union territories) administrations, the Ministry of Tourism complements these efforts through central schemes such as Swadesh Darshan, Swadesh Darshan 2.0, Challenge-Based Destination Development (CBDD), and PRASHAD. These schemes provide financial assistance for infrastructure development, subject to project proposals and fund availability.

Additionally, under the Special Assistance to states for Capital Investment (SASCI), the central government has extended support for tourism projects, including those focused on Buddhist heritage, informed the minister.

/IANS