Pilgrimage popular in tourism trend: MakeMyTrip reports 19% surge in bookings

According to MakeMyTrip’s Pilgrimage Travel Trends 2024-25, accommodation bookings across 56 pilgrimage destinations grew by 19% in FY24-25.

Mumbai: Pilgrimage travel is emerging as one of the faster growing segments of India’s travel and tourism industry, according to MakeMyTrip, one of the online travel companies of India.

The breadth of growth across pilgrimage destinations can be seen in centres such as Prayagraj (Uttar Pradesh), Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh), Ayodhya (Uttar Pradesh), Puri (Odisha), Amritsar (Punjab) and Tirupati (Andhra Pradesh), which continue to grow.

At the same time, places like Khatushyam Ji (Rajasthan), Omkareshwar (Madhya Pradesh) and Thiruchendur (Tamil Nadu) are also registering strong momentum, reflecting the widening canvas of spiritual travel in the country.

The strong growth in pilgrimage demand is also driving an aggressive expansion of accommodation supply across key destinations. Travellers are largely opting for short, purpose-driven stays, with more than half choosing single-night trips. At the same time, premiumisation is gaining momentum, bookings for rooms priced above Rs 7,000 grew by over 20 per cent.

According to MakeMyTrip’s Pilgrimage Travel Trends 2024-25, accommodation bookings across 56 pilgrimage destinations grew by 19 per cent in FY24-25.

The pilgrimage travel trends highlight broad-based momentum, with 34 destinations recording double-digit growth and 15 destinations growing by over 25 per cent, underscoring how spiritual journeys are becoming a powerful driver of travel demand.

In a press release, Rajesh Magow, Co-Founder and Group CEO, MakeMyTrip, said: “Pilgrimage travel has always been part of our culture, but what we see now is its scale and consistency across the country. We are seeing steady growth, fuelled by stronger connectivity and Indians across all age groups and income segments planning pilgrimage-led trips. This growing demand is broadening traveller expectations and prompting the industry to innovate in ways that better serve the unique needs of the pilgrim traveller.”

The late booking trend is characteristic of Indian travellers, cutting across all segments of travel. Pilgrimage travel, much like leisure, continues to be booked very close to the date of travel, with more than 63 per cent of bookings made within six days of departure.

Pilgrimage travel remains defined by short, purpose-driven stays. More than half of all travellers (53 per cent) opt for single-night visits, compared to 45 per cent in leisure travel.

Group bookings form a much larger share of pilgrimage travel, with 47 per cent of trips made in groups compared to 38.9 per cent in leisure destinations.

While most pilgrimage accommodation bookings (71 per cent) are for rooms priced below Rs 4,500 per night, premiumisation is gaining clear momentum. In FY24-25, bookings for rooms in the Rs 7,000–10,000 range grew by 24 per cent, while those above Rs 10,000 grew by 23 per cent. In parallel, alternate accommodation options such as homestays and apartments have also gained traction, contributing nearly 10 per cent of room night bookings in pilgrimage destinations.