The Lumbini Chamber of Commerce has proposed a joint tourism circuit connecting Lumbini, the birthplace of Gautam Buddha, with the Indian coastal destination of Goa, along with direct flights between the two regions. The proposal was presented by a Nepali delegation attending the Vibrant Goa Global Business Summit 2026 in Goa, where Nepal Chamber of Commerce Lumbini Province President Tanka Prasad is among the participants. According to the chamber, the initiative is designed to connect religious, cultural and coastal tourism, linking a pilgrimage city in Nepal's Terai plains with one of India's most popular beach destinations.

Linking pilgrimage with the beach

The proposal seeks to place two very different destinations on a single tourist map. Lumbini, in Nepal's Lumbini Province and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is revered by Buddhists around the world as the place where Gautam Buddha was born, and it attracts pilgrims, monks and heritage travellers throughout the year. Goa, on India's western coast, is one of the country's best-known holiday destinations, drawing domestic and international visitors to its beaches and coastal culture.

Under the circuit concept put forward by the chamber, travellers would be encouraged to experience both destinations in a single journey, combining spiritual and heritage tourism in Lumbini with coastal leisure in Goa. The chamber says the aim is to connect religious, cultural and coastal tourism, creating a travel corridor that spans Nepal and India and gives visitors from both countries, as well as from further afield, more reasons to travel between the two destinations.

Three strands of one journey

The proposal rests on three strands of tourism that the circuit is designed to bring together:

  • Religious tourism - Lumbini's standing as the birthplace of Gautam Buddha makes it a major destination for Buddhist pilgrims and spiritual travellers.
  • Cultural tourism - the circuit is intended to promote heritage experiences and cultural exchange alongside pilgrimage travel.
  • Coastal tourism - Goa's beaches and seaside attractions would anchor the leisure component of the circuit.

Direct flights to Gautam Buddha International Airport

Connectivity is the second pillar of the proposal. The Nepali delegation called for direct air service between Goa and Gautam Buddha International Airport, which serves the Lumbini region of Nepal. The appeal was made during the Vibrant Goa Global Business Summit 2026, where the delegation is pushing for closer travel and business ties between the two destinations.

A direct flight would allow pilgrims and holidaymakers to travel between Goa and the Lumbini region without circuitous surface journeys or multiple stopovers, making the proposed Lumbini-Goa circuit far easier to operate as a two-destination package. For the circuit to function as a genuine tourism product, regular air links between the gateway airport for Lumbini and Goa would be essential, and the delegation's proposal places that requirement at the centre of the plan.

Nepali delegation takes the case to Goa

The proposal was presented in Goa itself, at the Vibrant Goa Global Business Summit 2026, a platform that brings together business leaders, investors and delegations for discussions on trade, investment and tourism, according to a report by RatoPati. A Nepali delegation is taking part in the event, and Nepal Chamber of Commerce Lumbini Province President Tanka Prasad is among those attending.

Presenting the idea at a business summit reflects its scope: a cross-border circuit and an air route would require the involvement of tour operators, hoteliers and airlines in both Nepal and India. By pitching the proposal directly to Indian business stakeholders in Goa, the Lumbini Chamber of Commerce is seeking to build the kind of private-sector support that such an initiative would need if it is to move beyond the concept stage.

A new dimension for Nepal-India tourism

If taken forward, the circuit and the proposed direct flights would add a new dimension to travel between Nepal and India, linking a pilgrimage city in the Terai with a coastal state on the Arabian Sea. For Lumbini, the proposal represents an effort by the local business community to widen the city's appeal beyond pilgrimage travel and to position it within larger regional itineraries that combine spiritual, cultural and leisure experiences.

Details of how the circuit would be organised, and how airlines might respond to the proposed route, will depend on follow-up discussions between tourism stakeholders in Nepal and India. For now, the proposal marks a step by the Lumbini Chamber of Commerce to place the birthplace of Gautam Buddha and the beaches of Goa on the same tourism map, with direct air connectivity as the thread that would tie the two destinations together.