Ayodhya emerges as top spiritual & tourist destination: Survey
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The study reveals an average expenditure of INR 5877 by pilgrims during Mahakumbh.
The Government of India conducted a comprehensive survey ‘Maha Kumbh Spiritual Survey–2025,’ during the Maha Kumbh, covering 352,388 pilgrims from across India and 45 countries. The findings revealed Ayodhya as the top spiritual and tourist destination following Varanasi and Prayagraj among both domestic and international visitors.
Among previous visits, 27.32% of respondents had last visited Ayodhya, 22.68% had visited Sangam in Prayagraj, and 8.81% had visited Varanasi. For future visits, 32.57% preferred Sangam, 12.46% Ayodhya, and 7.46% Varanasi. In terms of overall favourite destinations, 22.55% chose Ayodhya, 19.96% chose Sangam, and 12.72% chose Varanasi.
The survey also highlighted that each pilgrim spent an average INR 5,877.63 during their visit, marking a significant contribution to Uttar Pradesh’s GDP. Spending patterns showed that tourists allocated 41.11% of their expenses to travel, 16.64% to accommodation, 11.24% to food, 11.08% to religious items, 2.13% to entertainment, 7.42% to shopping, and 10.38% expenditure to other miscellaneous heads.
During the revelations of the findings Uttar Pradesh Tourism and Culture Minister Jaiveer Singh stated, “The survey, called ‘Maha Kumbh Spiritual Survey–2025,’ was initiated by the Government of India to identify the country’s top pilgrimage destinations for targeted development. It was conducted from January 28 to February 26, 2025, at various locations in Prayagraj including Teliarganj, Jhunsi, Arail, and Parade Ground, by the All India Institute of Local Self Government (AIILSG).”
The survey was carried out by Deloitte, under the direction of the Ministry of Tourism and Culture, included participation from 1,093 foreign tourists from countries such as the USA, UK, Canada, Nepal, Australia, and Fiji, along with 3,51,295 domestic pilgrims.
The survey also showed that while domestic tourists often travelled with family, the foreign travellers preferred travelling alone. In terms of percentage, 40% of Indian tourists visited with family, 30.88% alone, and 29.13% with friends. Among foreign tourists, 55.26% travelled alone, 24.43% with family, and 20.31% with friends.