Over the last couple of years, the Government of India has taken several steps to boost spiritual and cultural tourism in the country. According to OYO’s Cultural Travel 2022 Roundup Report, Varanasi is India’s top spiritual destination for 2022, followed by Tirupati and Puri. The northern part of India received the maximum number of spiritual tourists. Also, Shirdi witnessed the highest increase in the number of bookings.
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India’s Top 10 Pilgrimage Destinations For 2022
As revealed by the OYO report, the top 10 pilgrimage destinations in India for 2022 are as follows:
- Varanasi
- Tirupati
- Puri
- Amritsar
- Haridwar
- Shirdi
- Rishikesh
- Mathura
- Mahabaleshwar
- Madurai
Pilgrimage sites that have witnessed a maximum increase in the number of bookings include Shirdi, Tirupati, Puri, Mahabaleshwar and Madurai. Shirdi saw an impressive increase in the number of bookings by 483%. Bookings in Tirupati, Puri, Mahabaleshwar and Madurai increased by 233%, 117%, 149% and 127%, respectively.
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Top Pilgrimage Destinations In North India For 2022
Zone-wise, north India was the most preferred zone of pilgrims, followed by south, west and east. OYO reveals that Prayagraj got a booking for the longest spiritual stay of 61 days, and Mathura got a booking for the second longest spiritual stay of 54 days. As per the report, the top spiritual destinations in North India were:
- Varanasi
- Prayagraj
- Amritsar
- Haridwar
- Katra
- Vellore
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Top Spiritual Destinations In South India For 2022
South India was the second most preferred zone of spiritual tourists in 2022. The top spiritual destinations in South India were:
- Vijayawada
- Mysore
- Tirupati
- Madurai
- Vellore
Top Spiritual Destinations In West India For 2022
As mentioned earlier, Shirdi saw the highest number of bookings from pilgrims. It has also emerged as the top spiritual destination in West India, followed by Mahabaleshwar, Nashik, and Ujjain.
Steps Taken By The Government To Boost Spiritual Tourism
The central and state governments made many efforts to promote spiritual tourism, significantly reviving tourism in the post-pandemic world. For example, the Uttar Pradesh government took steps to develop Ramayana and Buddhist circuits. Indian Railways launched trains like Swadesh Darshan and Ramayana Express for pilgrims.
Also Read: Puducherry To Be Developed Into A Spiritual Getaway. Here Are The Development Projects In Store
On that note, what is your favourite spiritual destination in India?