Archive · 24 Sep 2026
Medical Trips Cost Most as MoSPI Compares Domestic Travel Spending
A government survey looked at how much Indian families spend on different kinds of domestic trips.
It studied overnight journeys for holidays, pilgrimages, medical needs, and shopping.
Medical trips cost the most, averaging ₹32,167.
Shopping trips cost ₹18,981 on average.
Holiday and leisure trips averaged ₹11,723.
Pilgrimage trips cost the least, at ₹7,694.
Most of the money was spent separately on things such as transport, food, accommodation, shopping, or medical care.
Medical expenses were the biggest part of medical trips.
Urban households spent more than rural households for every type of trip.
MoSPI found health and medical trips were the costliest overnight journeys, averaging ₹32,167 per trip.
Shopping trips averaged ₹18,981, followed by holiday and leisure trips at ₹11,723.
Pilgrimage and religious trips were the least expensive of the four categories, averaging ₹7,694.
Medical expenses made up ₹23,361 of the average cost of a health and medical trip.
Urban households spent more than rural households across all four travel purposes.
- Who
- The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation surveyed household domestic travel spending.
- What
- The survey compared average overnight-trip expenditure for holidays, pilgrimages, medical needs, and shopping.
- When
- The survey was conducted from July 2025 to June 2026 and covered trips completed during the previous 365 days.
- Where
- The survey covered India at national and State/UT levels.
- Why
- It estimated domestic tourism expenditure and examined how costs differ by travel purpose and by urban or rural household.
- Survey
- MoSPI’s Domestic Tourism Expenditure survey, part of the NSS 80th round
- Costliest trip
- Health and medical trips: ₹32,167 per overnight trip
- Second-highest cost
- Shopping trips: ₹18,981 per overnight trip
- Holiday spending
- Holiday, leisure and recreation trips: ₹11,723 per overnight trip
- Pilgrimage spending
- Pilgrimage and religious trips: ₹7,694 per overnight trip
- Largest medical expense
- Medical expenses averaged ₹23,361 on health and medical trips
- Urban-rural pattern
- Urban households spent more than rural households across all four purposes