Pilgrimage power: 12.4 crore domestic tourists visited Gujarat last year

Ahmedabad: Pilgrimage tours are driving the tourist inflows into Gujarat. According to data from the Union ministry of tourism, 12.4 crore domestic tourists visited Gujarat's top 10 destinations in 2025, a rise of 36.9% year on year from 9.1 crore tourists in 2024. Domestic tourist footfall in Gujarat rose by 60.2% over 7.78 crore in 2023. The figures cover Gujarat's 10 most-visited destinations: Ahmedabad city, Ambaji, Dakor, Dwarka, Somnath, Pavagadh, Kankaria lakefront, Ekta Nagar, Nageshwar Jyotirlinga, and Surat city.On the other hand, foreign tourist arrivals to Gujarat's top 10 destinations also rose — albeit at a slower pace — from 13.2 lakh in 2023 to 14.7 lakh in 2024 and 16 lakh in 2025. Temple towns and religious circuits account for the bulk of footfall among the state's most visited destinations. From Ambaji and Dakor to Dwarka and Somnath, pilgrim destinations have emerged as the biggest draw for domestic travellers, even as urban and leisure destinations continue to see steady growth. "Religious tourism in Gujarat has seen a significant post-Covid surge, particularly in destinations such as Somnath and Dwarka, where improved road connectivity and better infrastructure have made travel far more convenient," said Manish Sharma, a city-based travel expert."Earlier, these were seen largely as pilgrimage towns with limited accommodation options centred around dharamshalas, but the emergence of new hotels, luxury properties and resorts has broadened their appeal and drawn younger travellers as well. With Somnath being a Jyotirlinga and Dwarka holding significance as both a Char Dham site and Jyotirlinga circuit destination, their spiritual pull remains unmatched. Other centres such as Dakor, Chotila and Ambaji are also seeing growing traction as pilgrimage tourism becomes increasingly mainstream," Sharma added. Officials said the sustained growth reflects investments in tourism infrastructure, destination development, sanitation, parking, digital promotion and improved visitor amenities.The data also points to the continued rise of newer tourism hubs. Ekta Nagar, home to the Statue of Unity, registered 68.3 lakh domestic tourists in 2025, nearly doubling from 36.9 lakh in 2023.
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