Pilgrimage drives 48% of India’s overnight domestic trips, lifting tourism-linked retail potential
MoSPI’s domestic tourism survey for the year ended June 2026 found pilgrimage and religious travel accounted for 48% of overnight trips. Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan led visitor-trips, while shopping made up 51% of rural and 41% of urban same-day trip spending.
What happened
MoSPI’s domestic tourism survey found pilgrimage drove 48% of India’s overnight trips, led by Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan. Shopping dominated same-day travel expenditure, while urban visitors frequently used hotels and guesthouses, signalling demand for tourism-linked retail and hospitality.
Key facts
- 48% of overnight trips were for pilgrimage and religious travel
- Uttar Pradesh accounted for 15.7% of visitor-trips
- Tamil Nadu accounted for 13.4% of visitor-trips
- Rajasthan accounted for 8.0% of visitor-trips
- Urban hotels and guesthouses accounted for 36% of overnight visitor-trips
- Shopping represented 51% of rural and 41% of urban same-day trip expenditure
- Average medical-trip expenditure was ₹29,454 rural and ₹41,649 urban
Why this matters
Pursue partnerships with temple trusts, transport operators, hotels and local merchants to build integrated visitor offerings around major pilgrimage routes.
What to watch
- Domestic overnight-trip growth and pilgrimage share in subsequent MoSPI tourism releases.
- Visitor-trip momentum in Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan, especially around Varanasi, Ayodhya, Tirupati, Rameswaram, Madurai, Jaipur, Ajmer and Pushkar corridors.
- Rail passenger volumes, new train services, highway upgrades, airport capacity and last-mile transport additions serving temple towns.
- Festival-period footfall, hotel occupancy, average length of stay and digital-payment transaction growth in pilgrimage districts.
- State regulation of street vending, shrine-zone commercial licenses, parking, alcohol, food safety and crowd-control restrictions.
- Evidence that pilgrims extend trips into heritage, leisure and shopping destinations, lifting spend beyond essentials and devotional purchases.
- Map top pilgrimage corridors in Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan by overnight-trip volume, festival calendar, transit access and retail whitespace.
- Prioritize compact, high-throughput formats near rail stations, bus stands, parking hubs, dharamshalas and last-mile shuttle points rather than relying only on shrine-adjacent locations.
- Build pilgrimage-specific assortments: affordable packaged food, water, footwear, rain protection, devotional items, local gifts, children’s basics, chargers and OTC wellness products.
- Use flexible staffing, replenishment and temporary pop-up capacity for peak festival dates, long weekends and school-holiday travel periods.
- Partner with local temple trusts, transport operators, hotels, digital-payment providers and licensed vendor networks to improve discoverability and manage crowd-day operations.
- Create regional souvenir and private-label food ranges that increase basket size while maintaining locally credible pricing and sourcing.