India's temple tourism goes premium: Bookings for ₹7,000-10K+ rooms up 24%

Pilgrimage travel, much like leisure, continues to be booked very close to the date of travel, with more than 63% of bookings made within six days of departure.

India’s centuries-old tradition of spiritual journeys is finding new momentum in modern travel. Pilgrimage tourism has emerged as one of the fastest-growing segments of the country’s travel and tourism industry, according to MakeMyTrip’s Pilgrimage Travel Trends 2024–25. Accommodation bookings across 56 pilgrimage destinations grew by 19% in FY24–25, with 34 destinations recording double-digit growth and 15 destinations surging more than 25%.

 

The boom is widespread. Traditional centres such as Prayagraj, Varanasi, Ayodhya, Puri, Amritsar, and Tirupati continue to attract large numbers of devotees, while emerging hotspots like Khatushyam Ji, Omkareshwar, and Thiruchendur are seeing strong momentum. This broad-based demand is also fueling a wave of new supply—over a third of hotel rooms in pilgrimage towns have been added in the last three years, with premium accommodations growing at an even faster pace.

 

Pilgrimage travellers typically prefer short, purpose-led trips—53% book single-night stays, while just 11% stay for three nights. Interestingly, group travel is significantly stronger in pilgrimage journeys, making up 47% of trips compared to 39% in leisure travel. 

 

Premiumisation is also visible: bookings for rooms priced between ₹7,000 and ₹10,000 rose by 24%, and those above ₹10,000 increased by 23%. In parallel, homestays and alternate stays now account for nearly 10% of bookings, reflecting shifting preferences.

 

At the same time, 63% of bookings were made within six days of departure, showing how last-minute travel continues to define Indian habits. 

Pilgrimage Travel Spurs Wave of New Hotels and Homestays:

 

Over the past three years, pilgrimage destinations have seen a sharp rise in accommodation supply. More than a third of all hotel rooms available today at these locations were launched during the past three years, with even faster growth in homestays, apartments, and hostels. The expansion of homestays reflects both new additions and existing properties coming online as hosts tap into rising demand. Premium supply has also scaled rapidly, 63% of the premium accommodation available today were launched during the same period, reflecting how businesses are actively investing to capture the demand in premium segment.

 

Travellers Increasingly Combine Pilgrimage with Leisure Experiences:

 

In FY 2024-25, over half (52%) of all holiday package bookings on MakeMyTrip were made by travellers seeking pilgrimage-led destinations only. At the same time, nearly 48% of bookings were from travellers who sought a combination of pilgrimage as well as leisure destinations within the same holiday package. Taken together, these trends point to a shift, with increasing number of travellers blending spiritual journeys and leisure pursuits to create a more wholesome experience.

 

Rajesh Magow, Co-Founder and Group CEO of MakeMyTrip, said, “Pilgrimage travel has always been part of our culture, but what we see now is its scale and consistency across the country. Stronger connectivity and growing aspirations across all age groups are broadening expectations and prompting the industry to innovate for pilgrim travellers.”

 

To meet this demand, MakeMyTrip has introduced initiatives like Loved by Devotees, a curated list of hotels near key shrines, and highlighted 200+ festivals across 56 spiritual hubs. It also offers 600+ packages catering to both purely spiritual journeys and combined spiritual-leisure holidays.