Gen Z is redefining the meaning of exploring the world. The current industry intelligence reports that brands are spending as much as 30% of their marketing funds to capture this emerging market, as Gen Z travel preferences are transforming the tourism industry and consumer activities.

Spirituality becomes a lifestyle choice for Gen Z

Spirituality is not limited to old-style pilgrimage or worship anymore; it is taking over as a way of life, particularly among Gen Z. From temple towns to yoga classes, India has turned into a spiritual travel boom because of young travelers in search of spirituality, health, and self-discovery. PeekABoo, travel trends tracker by Cleartrip, has indicated that contemporary travel is spiritual, with close to 60% of domestic travel being spiritual.

The pilgrimages, wellness retreats, and spontaneous spiritual retreats category has a CAGR of 16.2% and is expected to reach an industry of $4.6 billion by 2033. The driving force behind this change is Gen Z, with 12% of the total bookings and a year-on-year growth of 15%.

The pattern of travel of Gen Z presents an emerging combination of spontaneity and planning. The last-minute booking grew by 14% and planning by 10%. This spiritual duality supposes that, besides being a reactive act of escape, spiritual travelling is also a proactive journey towards meaning.

The top spiritual attractions are Haridwar, Rishikesh, and Dehradun. The Maha Kumbh pushed bookings up in pilgrimage centers such as Prayagraj by 110% and Amritsar by 33%, thanks to the Golden Temple. Other hotspots like Udupi(+27%), Tirupati (27%), and Lucknow (28%) are also catching up.

The seminal summer event of Cleartrip, Nation on Vacation (NoVac), showcased an increase in the booking of places such as Varanasi, Haridwar, and Amritsar by 3.7 times. Varanasi, Dharamshala, and Dwarka are some of the other destinations that have become popular tourist destinations even amidst the monsoon, and they cut across boundaries in terms of demography. Cleartrip is not the only company engaged in the trend. Spiritual travel has also been in strong momentum in MakeMyTrip. 

30% budget shift towards promoting spiritual travel destinations

The increase in spiritual travel is also rewriting the way in which brands and advertisers distribute their marketing budgets. Industry experts are now sharing that Gen Z is showing their interest, and as a result, the brands are dedicating as much as 30 percent of their budgets to marketing spiritual and culturally immersed destinations. 

Sarabjit Singh Puri, who is the Chairman of Fateh Rural Limited, stated that its marketing expenses associated with significant religious events have increased significantly. Spiritual brands are increasingly funding practices led by influencers who address spiritual journeys, conveying messages that are rooted in history but modernized into healthy themes, and collaborations with travel media to advertise spiritual destinations. 

The Chief Growth and Business Officer of Cleartrip, Manjari Singhal, said, “Over the past two years, spiritual travel has become one of the largest and fastest-growing segments for us. It’s now a year-round phenomenon, not just tied to specific events. During our flagship annual summer event, Nation on Vacation (NoVac), we saw a remarkable 3.7x increase in bookings for destinations like Varanasi, Haridwar, and Amritsar.”

Quotation Source: exchange4media.com  

Conclusion

Gen Z has adopted spiritual tourism is altering the industry, whereby leading brands are redesigning their strategy in order to invest in experiences, which reflect on higher values. Spiritual travel is already the majority of domestic travel and gains momentum by the day, and it boggles the mind to think that this is not just a fad, but rather a generational change that has begun taking place. With up to 30% of budgets being spent on fulfilling this desire, the future of travel is spiritual, intentional, and deeply personal.