The Surge in Bookings for the Maha Kumbh 2025

By Deepak Meena, Co-founder & CEO, Flyzy Discusses the Shift in Pilgrimage Travel Trends

The Kumbh Mela is one of the festivals that India is widely known for. It is held every 12 years at one of the four allocated locations – Haridwar, Ujjain, Nashik and Prayagraj. This year in 2025, the festival will take place in Prayagraj and it is again going to attract a record number of participants.

According to the Indian Ministry of Culture, more than 120 million people visited the 2019 Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj. This year this number will increase significantly as more people are forecasted to attend the mela due to streamlined travel and better planning tools available to businesses and individuals.

Gone are the days when pilgrims would simply show up without pre-booking travel or accommodations. Today, a significant shift is seen in how people plan and book their travel for the Maha Kumbh. With the rise of tech-savvy travel services, booking travel arrangements happen months in advance.

India’s religious tourism market was valued at USD 202.85 billion in FY2024 and is expected to reach USD 441.19 billion in FY2032, with a CAGR of 10.2% for the forecast period between FY2025 and FY2032. This growth is largely attributed to the integration of technology in the tourism sector, enhancing accessibility and convenience for travellers.

Technology platforms are transforming the pilgrimage experience, offering services that go beyond just flight and hotel bookings. Pilgrims are now seeking seamless travel experiences that integrate transport, accommodation, food, and spiritual services. This shift is driven by increased digital penetration, particularly in tier 2 and tier 3 cities, where internet accessibility and smartphone use are on the rise.

In view of the same, sacred places in India are increasingly embracing digital technology to strengthen the bond between religion and its followers. This digital shift has led to a significant increase in online searches for spiritual destinations. For instance, Ayodhya experienced a 585% increase in searches, Ujjain saw a 359% rise, and Badrinath had a 343% increase.

This year for the Maha Kumbh 2025 there is also an increasing demand for customised travel experiences. Pilgrims are looking for personalised packages that accommodate their specific needs. This could include accommodation near the event, large group travel plans etc. There is definitely a shift in travel preferences and more people are now looking for tailored, fuss-free experience that will allow them to focus on their spiritual experience and not logistical nitty gritty Travel-tech platforms are offering tools that are helping streamline the pilgrimage experience by aligning everything for the agents. For instance travel-tech technology today is designed to adapt to the unique needs of our B2B clients by offering tailored solutions that cater to a variety of market demands, operational requirements, and data-driven decision-making. At the core of this lies a commitment to flexibility, efficiency, and seamless integration, ensuring that travel agencies, corporates, and suppliers can work together more effectively.

Platforms are also offering real-time analytics, which plays a crucial role in helping our clients make informed, strategic decisions. Travel tech platforms provide actionable insights into booking trends, earnings, and referral data, giving our clients a clear view of how their business is performing. These insights help agencies and corporate travellers optimise their strategies, identify growth opportunities, and respond to market shifts quickly.

For instance, a key feature of Flyzy’s technology is the commission and referral programs, which are fully automated to support travel agents and corporate travellers. Agents can easily track commissions and referral bonuses, ensuring transparency and timely payouts. By offering this level of automation, they simplify the administrative burden for their clients, allowing them to focus more on growing their business rather than getting bogged down by complex calculations and paperwork.

In addition to this, their technology is designed for flexibility in supplier management. We understand that travel agents need to offer a broad and varied selection of options to meet their customers’ diverse needs. With rapid supplier onboarding, agents can quickly integrate new suppliers and expand their offerings, providing travellers with a wider range of regional travel options.

There is an increase in international pilgrims as well for the Mahakumbh. As per the Indian Ministry of tourism there has been a 15% increase in international tourists during the last Kumbh mela and this year there is hope that this number will rise significantly. With features like real-time availability, secure payment gateways, and easy cancellations, this year the Mahakumbh will be truly a transformational experience. Travel-tech companies are making a huge difference in filling the gaps previously faced by the travel sector and making it easier for pilgrims to approach religious tourism safely and in a fuss-free manner.

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