For years, India’s travel conversations have revolved around beaches, hill stations, weekend getaways and luxury escapes. But new government data suggests
that when Indians actually pack their bags and spend a night away from home, faith is often the reason behind the journey. Nearly 48% of domestic overnight trips in India were undertaken for pilgrimage and religious purposes, according to the latest Domestic Tourism Expenditure Survey (DTES) 2025-26, released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI). The survey was conducted by the National Statistical Office (NSO) between July 2025 and June 2026 as part of the 80th NSS round. And there is an important detail here: the figure does not mean that 48% of Indians travelled for religion. It means that out of the overnight trips covered under the survey's specified travel purposes, nearly half were linked to pilgrimage and religious activities.
Faith Beats The Holiday
The numbers make for an interesting picture of India's travel habits. Religious and pilgrimage trips accounted for 47.7% of overnight travel, followed by health and medical trips at 29.6%. Holidaying, leisure and recreation accounted for 22.1%, while shopping made up just 0.6%. What makes the finding particularly striking is that pilgrimage was the leading purpose in both rural and urban India. It accounted for about 48.4% of overnight trips in rural areas and 46.6% in urban areas.
The second-biggest reason for travelling, however, changes depending on where people live. In rural India, health and medical travel accounted for 38.4% of overnight trips. Among urban travellers, holidaying, leisure and recreation came second, with a 36.4% share.
India’s Travel Map Looks Different
The survey also throws up some fascinating clues about where Indians are actually travelling. Uttar Pradesh accounted for 15.7% of total visitor-trips, when visitors travelling within the state as well as those arriving from other states are considered. Tamil Nadu followed at 13.4%, while Rajasthan accounted for 8%. When pilgrimage and religious travel specifically is considered, Tamil Nadu contributed 14.8% of these trips, followed by Uttar Pradesh at 13.6% and Rajasthan at 9.2%.
That puts some of India's most prominent pilgrimage destinations firmly on the domestic tourism map, showing how religious journeys contribute to travel beyond the traditional holiday economy. The data also suggests that domestic tourism does not necessarily mean long vacations. The average overnight trip involved 2.03 visitors, while around 80% of visitors stayed for five days or less.
How people travel also differs between rural and urban India. Buses were the most commonly used mode among rural households, accounting for 32% of visitor-trips, while trains led among urban households at 35%. Hotels and guesthouses were the preferred accommodation among urban visitors, accounting for 36% of visitor-trips.
It Isn't Just About Temples
The survey also reveals another side of India's domestic travel economy. Health and medical trips were the most expensive category, with average expenditure reaching Rs 29,454 in rural areas and Rs 41,649 in urban areas, including package and non-package expenses.
The findings are based on a substantial sample of 2,46,113 households, 1,42,603 rural and 1,03,510 urban households. The bigger takeaway is simple: India’s travel story is not only about vacations. From temple towns and pilgrimage circuits to hospitals and holiday destinations, domestic travel is being shaped by a mix of faith, necessity and leisure. And according to the latest government survey, when it comes to overnight journeys, faith is leading the way.
