• 70 million people visited the Kashi Vishwanath Dham in Varanasi last year after its renovation compared to around eight million a year earlier.

• The number of domestic tourists that visited places of pilgrimage were 1,433 million in 2022, while 6.64 million foreign tourists visited India. In 2021, the numbers stood at 677 million and 1.05 million, respectively.

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• More than 60% of tourism in India is associated with religious and spiritual tourism.

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• The places of religious tourism earned 1,34,543 crore in 2022, up from 65,070 crore in 2021, as per data released by the Ministry of Tourism.

• 2023 travel predictions claim that nearly 70% of Indian travellers are seeking to try a spiritual stay, which includes meditation and mindfulness getaways, while 63% are looking at silent retreats.

Travel is at an all-time high. And spiritual tourism – travel motivated by spiritual or religious reasons – is the new trend among travellers. Although both concepts have common aspects, while religious tourism focuses on the visiting of religious sites, monuments or destinations, spiritual tourism prioritises inner journey, contributing to elevate one’s physical, mental and emotional energies. But for all practical purposes, ‘spiritual tourism’, as a term, is used broadly to include religious tourism as well.

And going by the above statistics, spiritual/ religious tourism is undoubtedly leading India’s travel recovery as more and more Indians are visiting spiritual or religious destinations now than ever before. In fact, even international tourists in the country are on the rise.

Hotelier India speaks to industry leaders, Government authorities and experts to get you the inside story behind this rising travel trend. We also give you a sneak peek into what the hotel, travel and tourism industries are doing to cater to this growing tribe of travellers…

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Of Revival And Restoration

From beautifully carved temples and opulent mosques, to splendid churches and resplendent gurudwaras, India has always been known as the land of spirituality. The vibrant spiritual destinations held a special charm in the hearts of Westerners too.
While the Government of India launched campaigns like the ‘Incredible India’ to boost tourism, it was only in 2015 that it widened its scope to include spiritual tourism in it.

recognizing the substantial monetary and cultural benefits spiritual tourism can deliver to the united states of america, prime Minister Narendra Modi brought schemes together with PRASAD (Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and religious Augmentation drive) in 2015. focusing on growing pilgrimage websites throughout India, Modi’s efforts to sell religious tourism have been part of a broader approach – to reinforce tourism inside the u . s . and showcase India’s cultural and religious variety to the world. The seeds that had been sown then are reaping benefits now…
Under the PRASAD Scheme, 41 religious sites from 25 states were identified for development in the country.