A FLIGHT SO DIVINE: SEEKING GOD'S BLESSINGS

If the Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj in February this year was anything to go by, things are indeed looking up for business aviation.

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As corporate czars and wealthy devotees flew into the temple city, the sky over Prayagraj was dotted with jets, chartered planes and choppers. Religious tourism had zoomed off like never before.

It is not just Prayagraj that is the beneficiary of this religious influx. While the government's UDAN scheme has helped in connecting pilgrimage sites, airlines too are starting commercial flights to places such as Ayodhya, Varanasi, Ujjain, Dwarka, Katra, Guruvayoor, Ajmer and Amarnath which have recorded consistent growth. Meanwhile, charters are also flying to popular pilgrimage sites such as Char Dham, Do Dham, Vaishno Devi, Lord Venkateswara Temple in Tirumala and Shirdi. Aerial darshans are also done by some charters to Adi Kailash and Om Parvat.

The number of pilgrims to these centres is astounding. Tirupati attracts around 20-30 mn visitors annually, while the Golden Temple sees about 35-36 mn, Vaishno Devi welcomes 10-12 mn and Ayodhya 160 mn. Last year when the Ram Temple in Ayodhya was consecrated, Air India Express, IndiGo and SpiceJet started operations to the city. It was not uncommon to hear airline pilots announcing the history of the religious sites they were flying to amidst chanting. Places such as Kushinagar, Lord Buddha's place of death, also got an international airport to facilitate the influx of Buddhists from all over the world.

The increase in air traffic has helped the economy of these small towns. Prayagraj saw over 2,000 flights, 100 business jets and some 650 charters during the Maha Kumbh which occurs once in 12 years. And private individuals are willing to shell out a tidy sum to seek the blessings of the divine.

So how big is the religious tourism market in India? According to a report by Marketsandata.com called “India Religious Tourism Market Assessment, Opportunities and Forecast, FY2018-FY2032F”, this market was valued at $202.85 billion in FY2024 and is expected to reach $441.19 billion in FY2032.