More Indians are turning towards religious destinations and away from the usual Nainital, Mussoorie, and Corbett, with the Char Dham circuit witnessing a surge in footfall, according to data released by the Uttarakhand government. These once-popular tourist spots seem to be losing their lure as religious tourism gains momentum amidst a spike in overall tourist arrivals in Uttarakhand, a Moneycontrol analysis reveals.
Uttarakhand, which has already witnessed tremendous growth, is aiming to surpass its previous tourist records this year, with over a million visitors recorded on the Char Dham circuit within the first 20 days of the yatra season.
The number of tourists visiting the state grew at a faster pace of 52 percent between 2019 and 2023, compared to 33.4 percent during 2015–2019.
Amidst this surge, Badrinath, Kedarnath, Yamunotri and Gangotri, popularly called the Char Dham circuit, have done better than other areas of the state.
State government data shows that over the last decade (between 2014 and 2023), the share of Mussoorie, Nainital and Corbett has declined, as more people turn to Char Dham destinations.
Mussoorie, which attracted 6.2 percent of the people visiting the state in 2014, could get just 2.5 percent of the tourists in 2023.
Similarly, the ratio of tourists visiting Nainital reduced to 1.3 percent from 3.4 percent and those for Corbett halved from 1.1 percent to 0.6 percent.
In contrast, Kedarnath’s share in tourist arrivals increased from 0.2 percent to 3.3 percent and Badrinath’s jumped from 0.7 percent to 3 percent.
Haridwar remains the top destination, attracting nearly two-thirds of the tourists. But even the tourist town has witnessed its share dip over the last decade.
The state, with a population of 10 million, saw six times as many tourists visit the state in 2023.
Even foreign tourists have been exploring off-beat paths. Number of foreigners visiting Mussoorie declined to 1.5 percent in 2023 compared with 4.9 percent in 2014. Instead, Tehri region witnessed foreign tourist share double from 16.1 percent to 31.8 percent during this period.
Foreign tourist arrivals were yet to reach pre-pandemic levels. In 2023, 148,412 foreigners visited the state compared with 158,954 in 2019.
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