Health and medical travel has emerged as a significant component of domestic tourism in India, accounting for the second-largest share of overnight trips in rural areas at 38.4 per cent, while pilgrimage and religious travel accounted for the largest share at 48 per cent, according to the Domestic Tourism Expenditure Survey 2025-26.Health and medical trips also recorded the highest expenditure per trip among the major travel purposes covered in the survey. Rural households spent an average of Rs 29,454 per health and medical trip, while the corresponding expenditure for urban households stood at Rs 41,649. The figures include both package and non-package expenditure.The survey, conducted by the National Statistics Office (NSO) under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), covered the period from July 2025 to June 2026.According to the findings, 48 per cent of overnight trips undertaken during the year were for pilgrimage and religious purposes, while health and medical travel accounted for nearly 30 out of every 100 overnight trips. In rural areas, health and medical travel constituted the second-largest share of overnight trips at 38.4 per cent.The survey also found that health and medical travel was among the major purposes for same-day domestic trips. After shopping, health and medical trips recorded the second-highest expenditure among same-day journeys in both rural and urban areas.The nationwide Domestic Tourism Expenditure Survey covered 24,778 first-stage units and 2,46,113 households, including 1,42,603 rural households and 1,03,510 urban households.