OPINION | Faith tourism and smaller city travellers drive India’s holiday boom

Travellers are blending leisure with faith-driven journeys.

Travel patterns in India are increasingly being shaped by two powerful seasonal trends — monsoon getaways and winter pilgrimages. From hill stations wrapped in rain clouds to ancient spiritual centres, travellers are blending leisure with faith-driven journeys. As travel demand grows across the country, tourism is evolving into a complex mix of recreation, culture and spirituality.

This shift is unfolding within a sector that has already become one of India’s major economic engines. The tourism industry is now valued at more than $200 billion and contributes substantially to the country’s GDP while generating millions of jobs across hospitality, transport and cultural services. With more than 40 UNESCO World Heritage Sites and an extraordinary range of landscapes, India offers travellers a diversity of experiences that few countries can match.

The scale of domestic mobility is also expanding rapidly. According to the Ministry of Tourism, India recorded nearly 3 billion domestic tourist visits in 2024, a sharp rise from about 2.5 billion in 2023. The momentum is expected to continue in the coming years as travel becomes more accessible and aspirational for a larger segment of the population.

Factors driving this expansion

Rising incomes, improved connectivity and the rapid growth of digital booking platforms have made travel easier than ever before. At the same time, pilgrimage tourism and medical tourism have become major contributors to travel flows. Increasingly, travellers are seeking experiences that combine relaxation with cultural exploration and spiritual engagement.

Recent booking data from travel platforms reflects this broader transformation. Via.com, a subsidiary of Ebix Travels, reported a 14 per cent year-on-year growth in booking volumes at the beginning of the current fiscal year, indicating strong travel sentiment across both domestic and international segments.

The monsoon travel surge

July has gradually become a major travel month, driven by international short-haul holidays as well as domestic monsoon tourism. Many travellers now see the rainy season not as an obstacle but as an opportunity for quieter, more immersive travel experiences.

Destinations such as Kangra, Rishikesh and Mysore continue to attract travellers seeking a combination of adventure, cultural exploration and spiritual reflection during the summer and monsoon months.

For urban travellers in particular, the monsoon offers a brief window to reconnect with nature while avoiding the intense heat of Indian summers. This seasonal shift has quietly created a new travel economy around monsoon tourism.

Winter’s pilgrimage economy

Travel demand between October and January begins to shift noticeably, bookings increasingly move towards spiritual and heritage destinations.

Cities such as Varanasi, Haridwar and Agra experience a rise in visitor numbers as faith-driven tourism gathers momentum. January, in particular, records strong demand as year-end holiday travel flows into the new year and overlaps with the beginning of peak pilgrimage activity.

The rise of the smaller-city traveller

Another important trend shaping India’s travel landscape is the growing demand from smaller cities and regional markets. Travellers from tier-II and tier-III cities are increasingly participating in both leisure and spiritual tourism, supported by rising incomes and improved connectivity.

For the tourism industry, this represents a significant structural shift. Demand is no longer concentrated only in large metropolitan areas. Instead, a broader and more geographically diverse base of travellers is emerging, reshaping both travel demand and destination economies.

In many ways, the story of India’s tourism boom is no longer just about destinations. It is about how travel itself is changing — reflecting the country’s economic growth, its cultural traditions and its evolving aspirations.

(Vikas Garg, Chairman, Ebix Group and Ankur Sharmaa, Chief Business Officer, Via.com - Ebix Travels.)

Views are personal, and do not represent the stand of this publication.