WORLD CULTURE FESTIVAL WCF INSIGHTS A detailed summary on impact of the World Culture Festival on India with focus on capital, New Delhi. DEEPANKAR LAMBA deepankar.lamba@stellargrid.in +919777529953 ANMOL NARANG anmolnarangaol@gmail.com +91 9560519059
1 E x e c u t i v e S u m m a r y Executive Summary 2016 has been a year of happenings for India. India witnessed the Pathankoat Terror attacks, tension on India-Pak border and a slowdown in economy. Amongst all this anxiety, The Art of Living organised one of its kind event- World Culture Festival in Delhi. World Culture Festival, organised by The Art Of Living Foundation has not only made a huge cultural impact by bringing in performers from 155 countries on one platform but has been able to bring a lot of intangible impact as well. In this report, primary and secondary research was done. Various government department s (Department of Tourism, Department of Economic Affairs) data was studied to understand the impact of this event. The impact on WCF has been quantified using a framework developed: ESD Model. ESD stands for Economic, Social and Diplomatic Impact. KEY HIGHLIGHTS 3.5 million WCF was world s biggest gathering in 2016. 9.8% #26 Y.o.y. increase for March in Foreign Exchange Earnings. Highest for the year. WCF rank was 26 among all time gatherings in terms of number of people. 5th 1 of 6 32 Best Month of last 27 month in terms of forex earnings Tourists visiting Delhi in March had come to attend the World Culture Festival WCF witnessed Political Diplomats from 32 countries together at one place
2 H i g h l i g h t s The World Culture Festival HIGHLIGHTS One of the World s largest Peace meditation: This was the first time in the world 3.5 million people meditated for world peace at one location More than 20,000 international guests attended the event set up over an area of 7 acres World s largest stage: WCF witnessed the world s largest oval shaped stage set up over an area of 7 acres 8500 musicians with 45 different musical instruments performed on stage at once For the Grand Art of Living Symphony, the tracks were sent out to more than 8000 participants who rehearsed online all over the world Revival of tribal art forms: WCF saw the revival of some of the most indigenous tribal art forms from states like Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra and Sikkim
3 T h e S t u d y The Study World Culture Festival not only made a huge cultural impact by bringing in representatives from 155 countries on one platform but also made a significant impact on the economy, society, environment, reviving culture and introducing people to spirituality. This report is the 3 rd in the series of reports written to understand the impact of World Culture Festival. The earlier Reports primarily predicted the impact of WCF on Delhi and Bangalore s economy and were written prior to the event, whereas this report analyses the impact of WCF after completion of the event. Primary and secondary research was done and impact of The World Culture Festival has been analysed using a framework developed called the ESD Model ECONOMIC DIPLOMATIC
Excerpts From the WCF 4 E c o n o m i c I m p a c t Economic Impact When an event of the magnitude of the World Culture Festival is organised, it boosts the economy of the state to a large extent. The economic Impact of WCF is measured by studying the following Parameters for the month of March. 1. International Tourism Foreign Tourist Arrivals Foreign Exchange Earning 4.1 Tourism Primary research with the Art Of Living International Team at Bangalore revealed that approximately 20000 Internationals had come for this massive event in Delhi from different parts of the globe. The impact of WCF on International Tourism Industry was analysed by studying the trend for Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTA) and Foreign Exchange Earning (FEE) from January to June 2016. 11.3% 12.1% 10.7% 6.8% 7.3% 3.7% January February March April May June FTA yoy increase in 2016 over 2015 The month of March, the month of WCF witnessed the highest year on year (yoy) growth in International Tourism.
5 E c o n o m i c I m p a c t Tourism Highlights 1 out of every 6 tourists in Delhi had come to attend the World Culture Festival 1 out of every 8 tourists in Karnataka had come to attend WCF in Delhi. Annexure 1 contains additional details on the data presented above The Prime Minister of Colombia, Mr Juan Manuel Santos thanked His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar for initiating the peace dialogue between Colombian govt and FARC guerrillas and playing a pivotal role in ending the civil war in the state which costed lives of approximately 220000 people and displaced close to 6 million people. Mr Santos was awarded the Noble Peace Prize in October this year.
6 E c o n o m i c I m p a c t 4. 2 Forex The impact of the International Tourism industry on Indian Economy can be quantified in terms of foreign exchange earnings (FEE). The Government data indicates that approximately 8.17 lakh foreign tourist arrived in different cities in India in the month of March. Data from the Department of Tourism for FEE has been analysed and the summary is presented below. 11.5% 2015 on 2014 2016 on 2015 9.8% 8.6% 6.3% 5.9% 6.5% 4.5% 3.5% 1.5% 3.9% 3.1% 1.9% January February March April May June Year on year increase in FEE(US $) via International Tourism Based on a press release in March by the Ministry of Tourism 9.8% increase in foreign Earnings from $1783 Million to $1956 Million in March was the highest year on year increase for India for 2016. 11% of Karnataka s forex earnings came from WCF in March Foreign Exchange Earning ($ Millions)- International Tourism for March 200 Total WCF generated 42 Delhi $42 million was earned during the WCF by the international tourism sector 21% foreign exchange earning of Delhi was during WCF.
7 D i p l o m a t i c I m p a c t Diplomatic Impact Political Diplomats from 34 countries had come to WCF and all of them addressed the people through the dais in World Culture festival or the Global Leadership forum. Apart from providing a boost to economy and culture, WCF has made a huge diplomatic impact as well. % representation in WCF 75% 75% 50% 50% 35% 29% 18% G4 G20 BRICS UN IORA ACD SAAR C
8 A n n e x u r e Highlights of performances during WCF Grand symphony of music presented by 8500 musicians playing 40 different instruments 1700 Bharatnatyam performers were trained by 3 Padma awardees 1700 Kathak dancers choreographed by Kathak maestro, Pandit Birju Maharaj Vedic chanting by 1000 plus pundits 375 drummers from South Africa 300 Brazilian dancers performed Samba, Frero & Capoieral More than 1445 Odissi dancers More than 1100 Kuchipudi dancers About 1620 Kathakali and Mohiniattam dancers 1400 Ghoomar dancers from Rajasthan More than 1150 Bhangra dancers Over 1500 Garba dancers from Gujarat Over 1000 singers from West Bengal performed Rabindra Sangeet 1050 Naati dancers from Himachal Pradesh were present 1000 Panthi dancers from Chattisgarh 1008 Dhangari Dhol players from Maharashtra Cosmic Rhythm dance drama saw 4,600 artists perform 30 dance forms Large groups from different countries performed dance forms like Brazilian Samba, Argentinian Tango, Hip Hop and Rap Sizeable contingents of Bulgarian Folk artists and Swiss Alphorn players Other international performances included Contemporary Sufi (From Pakistan), Kandyan dance (Srilanka), Genesis (Taiwan) Special dance performance was given by 53 Shaolin monks from China What Global And National Leaders Said About World Culture Festival Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe I sincerely hope we can spread world peace through The Art of Living and through Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar s teachings. British Prime Minister David Cameron People say that no one can change the world but Sri Sri had made a good start. We are seeing a ray of hope. Art of Living foundation promotes peace and understanding." President of Colombia Juan Manuel Santos "It's a gathering from across the globe to promote values and human life on earth. Sri Sri teaches us that happiness and peace is inside us. We need to recognize it to be able to live happy. No more fear, hatred, if we only want happiness." Hon. David Cameron, Prime Minister of United Kingdom
9 A n n e x u r e People say that no man can change the world, but we know that Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has made a good start. With representatives from 160 countries, The Art of Living has extended its reach around the world to introduce stability, comfort and support for people who need it. Hon. Sushma Swaraj, Minister for External Affairs, India Dear Gurudev, the glory you have bestowed upon us all by organizing this grand World Culture Festival is without a comparison. Through this tremendous platform, you have elevated the glory and grandeur of Yoga and Indian music, culture and art. You have managed to bring together an unparalleled confluence of art and music in this momentous event. Hon. Rajnath Singh, Home Minister, India Gurudev has worked tirelessly to spread the message of India s culture to every corner of this world. It is the message of peace and non-violence of this great country India, that Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Ji is working to spread to everywhere in the world. There can be no greater service to humanity today than what Gurudev is engaged in. Conclusions World Culture Festival saw participation from politicians, diplomats, celebrities, saints and millions of people. The event can be compared to cultural Olympics. Apart from celebrating the diversity this world has, World Culture Festival created a huge economic and diplomatic impact. It brought in foreign funds for the state of Delhi and was instrumental in showcasing brand India to diplomats and leaders of the world. Such a gathering for such a noble purpose has never happened before. World Culture Festival has indeed set a new benchmark and has put up its name in the history books.
10 A n n e x u r e Annexure 1 Head Nos Remarks No of foreign tourists Arrivals in India in March No of foreign tourists Arrivals in Delhi in March 817205 98621 Delhi has a share of 10.2% in overall Tourism Industry No of foreign tourists Arrivals in Karnataka in March 24984 Karnataka has a share of 2.7% in overall Tourism Industry Foreign tourists Arrivals In March in Delhi because of WCF 17000 Primary research revealed that approximately 3000 people had attended Mahashivratrti function first Foreign tourists Arrivals In March in Karnataka because of WCF 3000 % contribution of WCF to tourism sector of Delhi 17.2% For the month of March, 1 out of every 6 tourists in Delhi was for WCF % contribution of WCF to tourism sector of Karnataka 12.0% For the month of March, 1 out of every 8 tourists in Karnataka was for WCF For reference to Department of Tourism data for FTA s and FEE s, kindly refer the below link. http://tourism.gov.in/market-research-and-statistics