India Emerges as Global Pilgrimage Destination With Focus on Religious and Spiritual Tourism.

"Incredible India"- that's what our country truly is. With so much beauty, culture, heritage, food and lovely people, there is so much our country has to offer.

The Indian Tourism Board has been launching various programs and campaigns to attract tourism, such as Incredible India (2002), Atithi Devo Bhava (2005), and Incredible India 2.0 (2017), to promote tourism to a global audience.

In 2014-2015, the Ministry of Tourism decided to expand its focus to spiritual tourism with the Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual and Heritage Augmentation Drive (PRASHAD Scheme), primarily focusing on tier III and tier IV cities.

Spiritual tourism is about visiting holy and spiritual places of worship belonging to different religions (churches, temples, synagogues, and mosques), gaining spiritual experience, and enlightenment while focusing on inner peace and happiness.

Post-pandemic, spiritual tourism has taken centre stage. Here are a few statistics:

• 70 million people visited the Kashi Vishwanath Dham situated in Varanasi, in 2022 after its renovation, compared to around eight million in 2021.

• The number of domestic tourists visiting the pilgrimage sites was 1,433 million in 2022, while 6.64 million foreign tourists visiting India headed to these pilgrimage sites. In 2021, the numbers stood at 677 million and 1.05 million.

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

• The religious places 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 visit a spiritual stay, which includes meditation and mindfulness getaways, while 63% are looking at silent retreats.

What do the booking apps have to say on Spiritual Tourism?

AbhiBus, the Indian bus booking app, has recorded a surge in religious tourism based on the bookings and data available on the platform. Tirupati, Sabarimala, Dwarka, and Varanasi have emerged as top choices for Indian pilgrims.

ConfirmTt, an online train discovery and booking platform, has witnessed a surge in religious travel. Uttarakhand (Chardham), Uttar Pradesh (Varanasi, Prayagrai), Andhra Pradesh (Tirupati), Orissa (Puri), and Tamil Nadu (Madurai) are among the destinations showing the highest traction. It also observed an eight per cent rise in search queries related to these destinations compared to the previous year, indicating the growing interest and demand for religious travel experiences.

How are the holy sites faring?

•Tirupati welcomed four million Indian visitors in May 2023, while Sabarimala Ayyappan Temple and the iconic Meenakshi Temple in Madurai are also 'favoured' pilgrimage sites, attracting devotees from various cities.

•Jammu and Kashmir have also taken a significant move in religious tourism by unveiling the Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple near Jammu, wishing to create numerous employment and upliftment opportunities for the locals, particularly the youth.

•The Amarnath Yatra has witnessed a significant increase in devotees from various parts of the country and abroad.

•Madhya Pradesh is also attracting a significant number of visitors in Ujjain, Omkareshwar, Maheshwar, Khajuraho, Sanchi or Orchha. These places have also been seeing interest from foreign tourists.

•Goa also has shifted its focus from being a beach destination to a cultural and religious tourism hotspot. Goa Tourism Minister referred to Goa as "Dakshin Kashi," emphasizing its rich cultural heritage and spirituality. As part of the Prashad scheme, a project exceeding ₹ 40 Crore is underway, at the Basilica of Bom Jesus.

India, under its G20 presidency, is ensuring to provide pilgrims and tourists with a spiritual journey, showcasing the country's history, which is significantly helping the locals and boosting the economy in a structured way with the help of Indian Railways, which has also contributed by running special tourist trains in well-connected travel routes and circuits in these destinations as per reports.

So whether you seek solace and spiritual rejuvenation or yearning to escape your daily routine, let us know which pilgrimage you are heading to next in the comments below!

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