For millions of Indians, an overnight trip is as likely to be about faith as it is about leisure. Nearly 48 per cent of overnight domestic trips in the country were undertaken for pilgrimage and religious purposes, according to the Domestic Tourism Expenditure Survey 2025-26 released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation ahead of World Tourism Day.
Conducted by the National Statistics Office between July 2025 and June 2026, the survey looked at the reasons behind domestic overnight travel across rural and urban India.
Among the major categories covered by the survey, pilgrimage and religious activities accounted for the largest share at 48 per cent. Holidaying, leisure and recreation made up around 22 per cent, while health and medical needs accounted for nearly 30 per cent.
Rural and urban travel patterns differ
The reasons for travelling varied between rural and urban households.
In rural India, health and medical travel was the second-largest category, accounting for 38.4 per cent of overnight trips. In urban areas, holidaying, leisure and recreation ranked second at 36.4 per cent.
The survey also found that around 80 per cent of visitors stayed for five days or less. The average trip involved 2.03 overnight visitors.
Transport choices also showed a rural-urban divide. Buses accounted for 32 per cent of visitor-trips in rural areas, while trains were the most common mode in urban areas, accounting for 35 per cent.
Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu among major destinations
Uttar Pradesh accounted for 15.7 per cent of total visitor-trips, followed by Tamil Nadu at 13.4 per cent and Rajasthan at 8 per cent.
Tamil Nadu recorded the largest share of overnight holiday trips at 23.8 per cent, followed by Maharashtra at 9.6 per cent and Karnataka at 8.6 per cent.
For pilgrimage and religious travel, Tamil Nadu accounted for 14.8 per cent, followed by Uttar Pradesh at 13.6 per cent and Rajasthan at 9.2 per cent.
Religious trips cost less than medical travel
Despite being the biggest category, religious travel was not the most expensive type of overnight trip. The average expenditure on religious trips stood at around Rs 7,694.
Health and medical trips recorded the highest average expenditure, at Rs 29,454 for rural households and Rs 41,649 for urban households, with the all-India average at Rs 32,167. Overnight holiday trips cost an average of Rs 11,723.