Health and medical trips were the costliest overnight trips with average expenditure per trip of Rs 15,336 followed by trips with leading purpose of shopping (Rs 13,902)
The national sample survey office (NSSO), ministry of statistics and programme implementation released a report titled “Key Indicators of Domestic Tourism in India” in June based on information collected during July 2014 to June 2015. This was part of NSS 72nd round.
The survey covered the whole of the Indian Union. The results of the survey are based on the sample canvassed by NSSO, consisting of 8,001 villages and 6,061 urban blocks, spread over all states and union territories of the country. The total number of households in which the Schedule was canvassed was 79,497 and 60,191 in rural and urban India respectively during the period July, 2014 –June, 2015.
The report states that “These indicators on domestic tourism are required for planning, policy formulation and decision making at various levels within the government and outside. The results of the survey are likely to be used by the Ministry of Tourism etc. apart from private data users, policy makers and other stakeholders.”
Some key findings on various aspects of domestic tourism in the country in the survey are:
Households reporting overnight trip
- During last 365 days from the date of survey, 19 percent of Indian households reported at least one overnight trip with any one of the leading purposes as holidaying, leisure & recreation, health & medical and shopping.
- During last 30 days from the date of survey, 21 percent of Indian households reported at least one overnight trip with any one of the leading purposes as business, social, religious & pilgrimage, education & training and others
- Majority of overnight trips at all-India level (287.2 lakhs from rural and 79.2 lakhs from urban areas), completed during last 365 days, were for the leading purpose of health & medical.
- Social trips were the most common ones among the trips completed during last 30 days (501.9 lakhs overnight trips at all-India level) followed by trips for religious & pilgrimage leading purpose (4.85 lakhs trips).
- Nearly half (48 percent) of all single member trips undertaken by members from a particular household were performed by females in both rural and urban areas for leading purpose health & medical. For the business purpose trips, the above proportion for female was very low (2 percent).
Month of visit (starting month)
Summer season (i.e. May-June) was the peak period for undertaking a trip with leading purpose holidaying, leisure & recreation, whereas, for shopping trips it was winter (December-February).
Religious & pilgrimage trips were started more frequently during the months of July and August.
Visitor-trip characteristics
- Nearly 23 percent of visitor-trips in rural areas were for holidaying as visitor’s purpose, whereas for urban areas this share was about 59 percent.
- The share of visitor-trips for heath & medical purposes from rural areas (48 percent) was nearly twice than that from urban areas (25 percent).
- More than 80 percent of overnight visitor-trips completed during last 30 days, were for social purpose both in rural and urban areas.
Mode of travel
Bus was the dominant mode of travel (70 percent and 55 percent of visitor-trips in rural and urban areas respectively) for the visitor-trips with any one of the leading purposes being as business, social, religious and pilgrimage, education and training and others, completed during last 30 days.
Trip duration
- Average number of nights spent on overnight visitor-trips during last 365 days with any one of the leading purposes as holidaying, leisure & recreation, health & medical and shopping were 5.4 nights and 6.7 nights in rural and urban areas respectively.
- At all-India level, main destination of most of the overnight visitor-trips (over 80 percent) was within the States.
- For visitor-trips from outside States with any one of the leading purposes as business, social, religious & pilgrimage, education & training and others, Uttar Pradesh (12.7 lakhs) was the most visited State followed by Andhra Pradesh & Telangana combined (nearly 8.7 lakhs) and Rajasthan (nearly 8.6 lakhs).
Expenditure on overnight trips
Health & medical trips were the costliest overnight trips with average expenditure per trip of Rs 15,336 followed by trips with leading purpose of shopping (Rs 13,902).
Same-day trips
Shopping (35 percent) and social (34 percent) were the two most frequent purposes for same-day trips undertaken by the rural households, whereas, from urban areas nearly half of the trips were for social purposes.
Average expenditure on same-day trip combining all leading purposes was Rs 620 at all-India level.
