look news india
The number of devotees at Kainchi Dham in Uttarakhand crossed the 50,000 mark in the first long weekend of October. In view of the increasing crowd of devotees, the administration has to consider arrangements like registration, limiting the number of devotees and shuttle services. On October 2, 39,567 devotees registered for Char Dham Yatra. It seems that now along with Goa, Shimla and Manali, religious places like Kedarnath, Kainchi Dham, Kashi, Ayodhya, Vrindavan and Ujjain are also getting priority during holidays. India’s travel map is changing with darshan as well as mountains, ghats, local food, markets and experiences being shared on social media.
Of every 100 domestic overnight trips, 48 are religious trips.
According to the Domestic Tourism Expenditure Survey conducted between July 2025 and June 2026, about 48 out of every 100 overnight stay trips were for religious and pilgrimage purposes. This survey was conducted on more than 24.6 lakh families. Specifically, rural tourism households recorded an average of 127 overnight stay trips per 100 households, while urban households recorded 132 trips. This shows that travel volume is increasing, with religious pilgrimages accounting for the highest share.
Uttar Pradesh is leading among tourist destinations.
Earlier Goa, Kerala and Rajasthan were considered popular tourist destinations. However, according to Press Information Bureau data, Uttar Pradesh ranks first with 15.7% tourist visits. Tamil Nadu’s share is 13.4%, while Rajasthan’s is 8%. The number of tourists at religious places in Uttar Pradesh has also increased. The number of tourists in Ayodhya increased from 5.76 crore in 2023 to 16.44 crore in 2024. The number of tourists in Varanasi increased from 10.18 crore to 11 crore, while the number of tourists in Mathura increased from 7.79 crore to almost 9 crore. The central government said that according to the data of Uttar Pradesh Tourism Department, more than 23 crore devotees visited Ayodhya in the first six months of 2025.
There has been a huge increase in the number of tourists in Kainchi Dham.
Around 24.34 lakh tourists visited Kainchi Dham in Uttarakhand in the first six months of 2026. This number was 8 lakh in the entire last year. Neem Karoli Baba and Kainchi Dham have become more popular among the youth due to social media, arrival of celebrities and the movie ‘Hanuman Ansh’.
Travel experience along with the religious site of Kedarnath.
Along with darshan, trekking, mountain experiences and adventure are also attracting the youth visiting Kedarnath. Therefore, the trip to Kedarnath is no longer limited to just a religious trip but is becoming an integral part of the overall travel plan of the youth.
Enjoy the food culture and tourism along with darshan in Kashi.
The experience of darshan of Baba Vishwanath, boating on the Ganga ghats, Banarasi chaat, old streets and shopping of Banarasi sarees are attracting tourists in Kashi. Due to social media reels, Kashi has become popular not only for religious tourism but also among content creators.
A new trend of tourism is also being seen in Ayodhya and Mathura-Vrindavan.
Along with temple darshan in Ayodhya and Mathura-Vrindavan, the importance of historical heritage, culture, food and modern tourism facilities is also increasing. Of the domestic overnight stay trips in the country, 48% are for religious reasons, and of these, Uttar Pradesh accounts for 15.7%. This shows that religious tourism is gaining important place in the travel style of Indians.