Shopping trips rank second in domestic travel spend, MoSPI survey shows
Domestic shopping trips averaged ₹18,981 in expenditure, behind only health and medical travel at ₹32,167. Urban shopping-trip spend was ₹24,170, compared with ₹16,388 in rural areas, signalling stronger travel-linked consumption in cities.
What happened
MoSPI’s domestic tourism survey shows shopping trips averaged ₹18,981, second only to medical travel. Urban households spent ₹24,170 on shopping trips versus
Key facts
- ₹32,167 average health and medical overnight-trip expenditure
- ₹18,981 average shopping-trip expenditure
- ₹11,723 average holiday/leisure-trip expenditure
- ₹7,694 average pilgrimage-trip expenditure
- ₹24,170 urban shopping-trip expenditure
What changed
MoSPI’s domestic tourism survey shows shopping trips averaged ₹18,981, second only to medical travel. Urban households spent ₹24,170 on shopping trips versus ₹16,388 for rural households, highlighting higher urban travel-linked consumption.
Why this matters
Prioritize city-store assortments, travel-hub formats and destination-led promotions as urban shoppers spend ₹24,170 per domestic shopping trip, 47% more than rural travelers.
What to watch
- MoSPI follow-up data on trip frequency, category-level shopping spend and urban-rural income distribution.
- Domestic passenger volumes for rail, aviation and intercity buses, especially around holidays and festivals.
- Mall footfall, high-street leasing, hotel occupancy and tourism arrivals in major urban shopping destinations.
- Transport and accommodation inflation, which could reduce discretionary retail budget per trip.
- Sales growth in apparel, beauty, electronics, gifts and F&B at destination-heavy stores versus neighbourhood locations.