Religion devotion or tourism?

The economy of many countries depends upon tourism and as such every effort by the respective governments are made to attract more and more tourists. Some regions of several countries have different types of scopes for attracting the tourists. Some of them are blessed with natural beauty, some with pleasant climate, some with adventurous spots and some have historical values. Some are known for their peaceful and pollution free atmosphere. Similarly there are several places which are famous for their ancient culture, traditions and monuments. Many regions are blessed with more than one reason for attracting the tourists. Undoubtedly tourism is a very big sector for creating employment opportunities and giving strength to the economy. In many countries, the major source of income and employment is tourism. Jammu Kashmir is also blessed with this quality and this sector of tourism provides employment to lakhs of people and also generates considerable revenue for the government in different types of direct and indirect taxes. As such it is the prime duty of the government to improve the facilities at places which are famous for their tourism value and also those which have the potential to become a hub of tourism. But should all the improvements be at the cost of their touristic value? Should the development and improvement be allowed to destroy the originality of the place and be a deterrent to the environment and ecology of the region? The desire of earning more money is destroying the original spirit of several religious places in the name of improvement and development. Mata Vaishno Devi Yatra has for many people now become a place of picnic and they do not visit this holy place with devotion but only a picnic or short tour. The easiness of the Yatra and other facilities have eroded the piousness of the Yatra and converted it into a picnic. Earlier the toughness of the track, the hilly views with greenery and the natural surroundings used to infuse a feeling of spirituality. People with pure devotional feeling had been visiting the wholly cave of Mata Vaishno Devi. After returning to their respective homes the experience of the rack and the natural atmosphere all around was a major point while sharing the experience of holy Yatra. Now most of the visitors come here to enjoy and have no feeling of any kind of spirituality.