MUMBAI: India’s spiritual tourism boom is drawing travellers of all ages, but one trend stands out this year’s Amarnath Yatra. A growing number of women are choosing to undertake the Amarnath Yatra solo, a pilgrimage long associated with organised groups and family travel. Solo women made up 17.64% of Amarnath bookings this year, which was nearly four times the share of solo men at 4.43%, with Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru emerging as the top source cities, according to data shared by an online travel company.The share of solo women travellers has risen from 15.13% in 2025 to 17.64% this year. Bookings by women travelling alone also grew 20% year-on-year, compared with a 6.4% increase among solo male travellers, indicating a faster rise in women undertaking the pilgrimage independently, said Cleartrip.The Amarnath Yatra also drove strong growth across other travel segments. Hotel bookings for the pilgrimage increased 22% from a year earlier, while bus bookings more than doubled, rising 104%, reflecting strong demand for onward travel to the shrine, it said. he Amarnath Yatra is one of Hinduism’s most demanding annual pilgrimages, undertaken to the Amarnath cave shrine in Jammu and Kashmir, which houses a naturally formed ice stalagmite revered as a Shivling. Held each year during the Hindu month of Shravan, typically from late June or early July to August. Pilgrims reach the cave via the traditional 48-km Pahalgam route or the shorter but steeper 14-km Baltal route, both of which involve trekking at altitudes of up to about 3,900 metres. But participation is regulated through mandatory advance registration, with devotees required to obtain a compulsory health certificate from authorised medical institutions because of the high altitude and physically strenuous terrain. Daily pilgrim numbers on each route are capped by the shrine board for safety, crowd management and environmental reasons, while security arrangements are extensive given the region’s terrain and history of militant attacks. Helicopter services are available up to designated points on the route, but the final stretch to the cave must be covered on foot or by pony, palanquin or palki. The trend of solo women travelling to Amaranth in increasing numbers comes amid robust growth in religious tourism across the country, with pilgrimage destinations recording some of the strongest booking gains this year.The Char Dham Yatra circuit was another major driver. Haridwar, one of its main gateway cities, recorded a 161% jump in hotel bookings and a 203% rise in bus bookings, while bus bookings to Rishikesh increased 113%. Train bookings on Char Dham routes also rose sharply, with travellers originating largely from Bengaluru, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Delhi, Pune, Kolkata, Chennai and Ahmedabad. Festival-driven travel also boosted demand across several destinations. Puri, which hosts the annual Jagannath Rath Yatra and Bahuda Yatra, recorded more than 200% growth in hotel bookings. Mathura saw hotel bookings rise 196%, while Varanasi recorded 161% growth during the holy month of Sawan and the Kanwar Yatra.Destinations with year-round religious significance also witnessed sustained demand. Prayagraj, Ayodhya, Haridwar, Udupi, Thanjavur, Thrissur, Gokarna and Tirupati all posted triple-digit growth in hotel and bus bookings. Budget accommodation remained the preferred choice among pilgrims, with bookings for budget hotels rising 386% year-on-year, followed by mid-range hotels, which grew 164%, according to Cleartrip.
