Bonsai : An Emerging Tourism Product World Wide
Bonsai cultivation marries horticultural science and artistic design. It uses techniques like shallow potting, root and branch pruning, and wiring to keep ordinary trees miniature. Success relies on proper soil mixtures, careful watering, and matching the tree to its required climate.
The tourism product is composite in nature and includes everything that the tourists purchase , see ,experience and feel from the time they leave home until the time they return . The tourism product also involves experiences and expectations which are not directly purchased but which nevertheless still form part of the overall package. Thus the bonsai collection does have the potential to emerge as one of the most sought-after tourism products ( a fine blend of both natural and man-made tourism products) being looked for by the tourist community in different destinations.
Bonsai as a tourism product creates high-value, niche cultural and botanical experiences. Tourists engage in guided nursery visits, hands-on masterclasses, and museum exhibitions. Destinations drive eco-tourism by combining these living art forms with regional heritage tours and seasonal nature festivals.
There are several museums and botanical gardens entirely or heavily devoted to the art and collection of bonsai plants across the world.
While there are no specialized bonsai museums right inside Bhubaneswar, you can explore excellent bonsai collections locally and internationally:
1. Local & Regional Bonsai Collections (Near Bhubaneswar)
- State Botanical Garden (Nandankanan): Located in Jujhagada (about a 35-minute drive from Bharatpur), it features a dedicated Bonsai Garden
- Regional Museum of Natural History: Located in Acharya Vihar, Bhubaneswar, this museum also features botanical exhibits and is a great resource for plant enthusiasts.
- You can go through the following link of my YouTube channel to have a glance at the bonsai display in the recently concluded annual flower exhibition in the premises of the Regional Plants Resource Centre, held every year in the month of January.
https://youtu.be/zjs0v_IcRhw?si=SyryRFJrb87joatV
2. Major Bonsai Museums in India
- Kishkindha Moolika Bonsai Garden: Located at the Avadhoota Datta Peetham in Mysuru, Karnataka. It is one of the most famous bonsai museums in India, featuring hundreds of distinct species, rare medicinal herbs, and a specialized bonsai museum block.
- Indian National Bonsai Collection: Located in the historic Lodhi Gardens in New Delhi, this is the country’s most prominent public bonsai display.
3. Some International Museums Devoted To Bonsai Collection:
- Omiya Bonsai Art Museum(Saitama, Japan) is Known as the world’s first public bonsai museum. It displays over 70 masterpieces, some of which are over 1,000 years old.
- Crespi Bonsai Museum (Parabiago, Italy): Home to one of the most impressive private bonsai collections outside of Japan.
- Pacific Bonsai Museum (Federal Way, Washington, USA): Dedicated strictly to the exhibition and education of the art of bonsai.
- Shunkaen Bonsai Museum (Tokyo, Japan): Established by master Kunio Kobayashi, it is a highly revered collection of traditional and ancient trees.
Developing bonsai as a multifaceted tourism product involves several distinct experiences and revenue streams.
Dr Manoj Mishra,lunarsecstasy@gmail.com
