redBus Data Shows GenZ Leads India’s Spiritual Travel Segment with 53% Share

India’s spiritual travel segment continues to see strong participation across generations, with younger travellers becoming increasingly visible across key routes and destinations to religious and pilgrimage destinations. Data from redBus, the world’s largest online bus ticketing platform, indicates that Gen Z and young travellers now account for more than 53% of travelers to spiritual destinations in FY26. This marks a notable rise over the corresponding period in FY25, making them a significant cohort in this category.

1. Younger travellers are becoming more visible in spiritual travel

Gen Z and young travellers now account for nearly 53% of travel to spiritual destinations in India, making them the largest cohort in this category. Men account for nearly 69% of these travellers, while women contribute around 31%. This reflects a stronger youth presence in a segment that has long held deep cultural, familial and personal significance in India.

2. Key spiritual routes are seeing strong traction

Corridors such as Bangalore–Tirupati, Hyderabad–Tirupati and Rishikesh–Delhi, Pune-Nanded, Chennai-Thanjavur, Indore-Ujjain are seeing notable traction among Gen Z travellers. The Bangalore–Tirupati corridor alone logged lakhs of GenZ travellers, highlighting strong demand across established spiritual routes. It also points to the role of easier access and digital booking in helping younger travellers plan these journeys with greater convenience.

3. Booking behaviour is becoming more immediate

Spiritual journeys are not always planned far in advance, especially among younger travellers. The share of bookings made within the first four hours alone has increased from 16% in 2022 to nearly ¼ (23%) in 2026. This reflects the convenience of mobile-first access and a growing comfort with close-to-departure planning. Travel decisions may be influenced by important dates, family plans, personal schedules or sudden availability .

4. Destination awareness is expanding through digital discovery

Family guidance, community recommendations and traditional travel routes continue to play an important role in travel to spiritual destinations. Alongside this, digital content is helping bring spiritual destinations into the consideration set of younger travellers, through route information, travel videos, devotional music, destination visuals and shared community experiences. This is helping places such as Tirupati, Rishikesh, Thanjavur, Varanasi, Ujjain and Nanded remain visible among young travellers. Digital discovery is not altering the purpose of these journeys; it is widening awareness and making planning more accessible through channels familiar to this cohort.

5. Spiritual journeys continue to hold personal meaning

Spiritual travel continues to remain closely linked to family traditions, cultural continuity and personal belief among younger travellers. Industry reports from 2024 estimate that spiritual tourism contributes nearly 60% of domestic tourism in India, underlining the scale and relevance of the segment.

Gen Z’s growing participation does not change the essence of travel to spiritual destinations. It reinforces its continued place in India’s cultural and community life. As younger travellers become more active on these routes, the segment is gaining wider visibility across age groups, supported by easier access, digital planning and intergenerational relevance. For young India, these journeys remain anchored in tradition, family, culture and a deeper personal connection to spiritual destinations.

72% prefer 'couple-friendly' hotels for short duration stays: Survey

With internet savvy millennials and Gen Z seeking an end to invasive questions while booking their stay, a survey has revealed that more than 72 per cent respondents prefer 'couple-friendly' hotels for short duration stays.
It further revealed that more than 46 per cent of the hotel bookings came from couples residing in the same city, whereas about 54 per cent were made for hotels located at an outstation destination.

The pan-India online survey was commissioned by Goibibo's Consumer Insights among 1,000 respondents (couples in the age group of 22 to 26 years).

Further, the survey found that 50 per cent respondents had booked couple-friendly hotels more than five times in the last one year.
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While bookings for couple friendly hotels are on the rise, some of the biggest yet common concerns of bookers include constant judgement and prying behaviour of the hotel staff (39 per cent) and sharing personal identity-proofs during check-ins (36 per cent).

Other aspects that bookers are uncomfortable with include receiving promotional offers or mails from the hotels post the stay (27 per cent) and inability to remove the booking from their travel records (25 per cent), the survey add ..
Highlighting some of the key parameters considered by couples while making reservations at a couple-friendly hotel, the survey said more than 80 per cent of the respondents shared their comfort in booking hotels that offer 'No Questions Asked' check-ins.

Other decision-making factors include affordability (61 per cent), location (55 per cent), rating of the hotel (53 per cent), privacy (52 per cent) and discounts offered (38 per cent),