There has been a 60 per cent increase in bookings to temple towns including Puri, Varanasi, and Ujjain in recent months, according to industry players. Pilgrim’s progressAgarwal predicts that spiritual tourism will be a significant growth driver for the company in the next five years. Rates surgeAccording to consultancy firm Hotelivate, rates have risen up to 52 per cent in temple towns in the last seven years. Temple towns doubled hotel keys from 3,300 in FY15 to 7,500 in FY23 as hospitality chains invested in projects in these places. Data from EaseMyTrip support these trends, witnessing a substantial 45 per cent surge in overall travel bookings to spiritual destinations.

Source: The Hindu January 02, 2024 13:17 UTC