BENGALURU: Young travellers are increasingly shaping Karnataka’s spiritual tourism landscape, with Gen Z passengers emerging as the largest group undertaking pilgrimage journeys, according to a report.
The FY26 data from redBus shows that travellers aged 18 to 30 account for 56 per cent of all spiritual travel bookings from Karnataka, exceeding the national average of 53 per cent.
The trend indicates a growing interest among younger generations in pilgrimage travel, traditionally associated with older age groups and family-led journeys.
Among the most popular routes, the Bengaluru-Tirupati corridor recorded lakhs of Gen Z travellers during the year, making it one of the busiest spiritual travel routes in the country. Other major pilgrimage corridors witnessing strong demand include Hyderabad-Tirupati, Rishikesh-Delhi, Pune-Nanded, Chennai-Thanjavur and Indore-Ujjain.
The data also reveals a changin g travel pattern among younger pilgrims. Nearly 74 per cent of spiritual bus bookings in Karnataka were made within 48 hours of departure, highlighting a strong preference for spontaneous and last-minute travel. Nationally, bookings made within four hours of departure have risen from 16 per cent in 2022 to 23 per cent in 2026, reflecting the growing influence of mobile-first booking platforms and digital convenience.
Men continue to dominate pilgrimage travel in Karnataka, accounting for 65 per cent of bookings, while women make up 35 per cent. However, the increasing participation of women points to a gradual shift in travel demographics.
The study also suggests that spiritual tourism contributes nearly 60 per cent of India’s domestic tourism activity, underlining the sector’s significance.