Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
Ever wondered what drives domestic tourism in India? Turns out, faith plays a pretty big role. Nearly half of all domestic overnight trips in the country are linked to pilgrimage and religious travel, making it the biggest reason Indians travel overnight within the country, according to the latest Domestic Tourism Expenditure Survey (DTES) report released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI).
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The survey, conducted by the National Statistics Office (NSO) between July 2025 and June 2026 as part of the NSS 80th round, looks at how Indians travel within the country, from why they travel and how long they stay to how much they spend and where they choose to stay.
And the findings offer an interesting glimpse into India’s domestic travel habits.
Faith takes the top spot
Among domestic overnight trips taken for purposes ranging from holidays, leisure, pilgrimage to health and shopping, it was pilgrimage and religious travel that accounted for the largest share at 48% across both rural and urban areas.
So, while holidays and getaways may dominate our travel feeds, when it comes to actual domestic travel, religious trips are way ahead.
The second-most common reason varied by location. In rural India, health and medical trips accounted for 38.4% of overnight trips, while in urban India, holidaying, leisure and recreation came second with a 36.4% share.
FYI: An overnight trip here means travelling outside one’s usual place of residence, crossing midnight, and returning home within 180 days.
Indians aren’t necessarily travelling for long
The survey also found that domestic trips tend to be fairly short. The average trip size was 2.03 overnight visitors, while around 80% of visitors stayed for five days or less during their overnight trips.
As for the travel preferences, there was a clear rural-urban difference. Buses were the most common mode of transport among rural households, accounting for 32% of visitor-trips. In urban areas, trains led the way, with a 35% share.
Accommodation choices also differed. Hotels and guesthouses were the most preferred option among urban travellers, accounting for 36% of visitor-trips. In rural areas, other non-commercial stays made up the largest share at 28%. This category includes everything from staying at one’s own second home to temporary accommodation provided by employers or free accommodation offered by religious or missionary organisations.
Uttar Pradesh tops the travel map
And if you’re wondering which states are seeing the most visitor traffic, Uttar Pradesh takes the top spot, accounting for 15.7% of total visitor-trips when both travellers from within the state and those coming from other states are considered.
Tamil Nadu followed with 13.4%, while Rajasthan accounted for 8%.
Health trips come with the biggest bills
Not all trips cost the same, of course. Health and medical travel emerged as the most expensive category in both rural and urban India.
The average expenditure for such trips was Rs 29,454 in rural areas and Rs 41,649 in urban areas, including both package and non-package expenses.
As for trips taken primarily for holidaying, leisure and recreation, transport emerged as the biggest expense component.
The findings are based on responses from 2,46,113 households, including 1,42,603 rural and 1,03,510 urban households.
– Ends
SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
