Domestic travel in India continues to maintain strong momentum this year, with spiritual and pilgrimage tourism emerging as one of the biggest growth drivers. Once largely associated with family vacations and older travellers, faith-based journeys are now attracting a broader audience, including younger Indians and solo travellers-particularly women.
According to Cleartrip’s PeekABoo Trends Tracker, pilgrimage destinations have recorded some of the strongest booking growth across flights, hotels and buses, with the Char Dham and Amarnath Yatra circuits leading the season.
Solo Women Travellers Fuel Amarnath Yatra Growth
A key trend this season is the growing popularity of independent pilgrimage travel. Flight bookings by solo women travellers during the ongoing Amarnath Yatra increased 20% year-on-year, highlighting rising confidence among women undertaking spiritual journeys on their own.
The Yatra also boosted demand across other travel categories, with hotel bookings rising 22% and bus bookings surging 104% year-on-year. Meanwhile, Dwarka recorded a 37% increase in bookings from solo women travellers.
Char Dham Yatra Sees Robust Demand
The Char Dham Yatra has generated significant booking growth, particularly in its gateway cities.
Haridwar: Hotel bookings up 161%, bus bookings up 203%
Rishikesh: Bus bookings up 113%
Train bookings along Char Dham routes also witnessed strong growth, underscoring the increasing preference for multi-modal travel among pilgrims. Most bookings originated from Bengaluru, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Delhi, Pune, Kolkata, Chennai and Ahmedabad.
Festival Calendar Boosts Pilgrimage Destinations
India’s festival calendar continues to drive travel demand across key religious destinations.
Puri, home to the annual Jagannath Rath Yatra and Bahuda Yatra, recorded over 200% growth in hotel bookings.
Mathura, which attracts devotees during Guru Purnima and the Govardhan Parikrama, saw hotel bookings rise 196%.
Varanasi, which witnesses a large influx of pilgrims during Sawan and the Kanwar Yatra, recorded 161% growth in hotel bookings.
Destinations with year-round spiritual significance also maintained strong momentum. Prayagraj, Ayodhya, Haridwar, Udupi, Thanjavur, Thrissur, Gokarna and Tirupati all registered triple-digit growth in hotel and bus bookings.
Affordable accommodation remains the preferred choice among pilgrims. Budget hotels recorded the highest growth, with bookings increasing 386% year-on-year, followed by mid-range hotels, which saw 164% growth, reflecting travellers’ continued focus on value-driven stays.
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