INDIA, September 24, 2026 (India Weekly): India’s latest Domestic Tourism Expenditure Survey offers a revealing look at how people travel within the country, from their reasons for taking trips to the transport they use and the places they choose to stay. The survey shows that domestic travel is closely connected to religion, healthcare, social visits and shopping, with buses, trains and stays with friends and relatives forming a significant part of the travel experience. The survey was conducted between July 2025 and June 2026 and recorded details including the purpose of travel, transportation, accommodation, trip duration and expenditure. One statistic immediately changes the picture of domestic travel: 47.7 per cent of overnight trips taken during the previous 365 days were for pilgrimage and religious purposes.

Holidaying, leisure and recreation accounted for 22.1 per cent, while health and medical travel represented 29.6 per cent. Shopping accounted for 0.6 per cent. In other words, the largest share of overnight domestic travel was not for a traditional vacation. Of every 100 overnight trips taken during the previous 365 days, 47.7 trips were for pilgrimage and religious purposes. The share was 48.4 per cent in rural areas and 46.6 per cent in urban areas. The survey also found that among households that had taken at least one overnight trip, pilgrimage and religious travel generated an average of 62 overnight trips per 100 tourist households in rural areas and 61 in urban areas during the previous 365 days. That makes religious travel a central part of India’s domestic movement rather than a small segment of the tourism market.

More at source.
https://www.indiaweekly.biz/india-pilgrimage-overnight-domestic-travel/

Post Views: 29