A detailed summary on impact of the World Culture

Festival on India with focus on capital, New Delhi.

WCF INSIGHTS

ANMOL NARANG

anmolnarangaol@gmail.com

+91 9560519059

DEEPANKAR LAMBA

WORLD CULTURE FESTIVAL

deepankar.lamba@stellargrid.in

+919777529953

1 | E x e c u t i v e S u m m a r y

KEY HIGHLIGHTS

Executive Summary

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

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.

2 | H i g h l i g h t s

The World Culture Festival

HIGHLIGHTS

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

For the Grand Art of

Living Symphony, the

tracks were sent out to

more than 8000 participants

who rehearsed online all

over the world

8500 musicians with 45

different musical

instruments performed on

stage at once

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

3 | T h e S t u d y

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 3rd

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

The Study

ECONOMIC

CC

DIPLOMATIC

4 | E c o n o m i c I m p a c t

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.

Economic Impact

Exce

rpts

Fro

m t

he

WC

F

6.8%

11.3% 12.1%

10.7%

3.7%

7.3%

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

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.

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.

Tourism Highlights

Annexure 1 contains additional details on the data presented above

6 | E c o n o m i c I m p a c t

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.

3.5%

1.5%

3.9%

5.9%

11.5%

1.9%

4.5%

6.3%

9.8%

8.6%

3.1%

6.5%

January February March April May June

2015 on 2014

2016 on 2015

Year on year increase in FEE(US $) via International Tourism Based on a press release in March by the Ministry of Tourism

4. 2 Forex

200

42

Delhi

Total

WCF generated

$42 million was earned during the WCF by the international tourism sector

21% foreign exchange earning of Delhi was during WCF.

Foreign Exchange Earning ($ Millions)- International Tourism for March

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

7 | D i p l o m a t i c I m p a c t

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.

Diplomatic Impact

75%

35%

50%

18%

29%

50%

75%

G4 G20 BRICS UN IORA ACD SAAR

C

% representation in WCF

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.”

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.

Conclusions

10 | A n n e x u r e

Annexure 1

Head Nos Remarks

No of foreign tourists Arrivals in

India in March 817205

No of foreign tourists Arrivals in

Delhi in March 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