Medical tourism in focus: Indians spend up to ₹41,649 on health-related domestic trips
The findings provide insight into the scale of India's domestic medical travel, where people increasingly travel outside their usual place of residence to access healthcare services
- Sep 24, 2026,
- Updated Sep 24, 2026 4:15 AM IST
Health and medical needs have emerged as one of the biggest drivers of domestic travel in India, with the latest government tourism expenditure survey showing a substantial share of overnight trips undertaken for medical purposes.
According to the Domestic Tourism Expenditure Survey (DTES) 2025-26, released by the National Statistics Office (NSO) under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), health and medical trips accounted for 30% of overnight trips undertaken for selected purposes during the last 365 days. The survey was conducted between July 2025 and June 2026 as part of the NSS 80th round.
The findings provide insight into the scale of India's domestic medical travel, where people increasingly travel outside their usual place of residence to access healthcare services.
READ THIS: Domestic tourism: Nearly 1 in 2 overnight trips in India are for pilgrimage, religious purposes
Medical trips second only to pilgrimage
Among overnight trips undertaken during the last 365 days for holidaying, leisure and recreation, pilgrimage and religious activities, health and medical purposes, and shopping, pilgrimage and religious travel recorded the highest share at 48%.
Health and medical travel emerged as the second-largest category overall. The trend was particularly pronounced in rural India, where 38.4% of such overnight trips were undertaken for health and medical purposes. In comparison, urban areas recorded the highest share for holidaying, leisure and recreation at 36.4%.
The figures indicate the importance of healthcare access as a reason for inter-city and inter-state domestic mobility, particularly among rural households.
Medical travel comes with the highest expenditure
The survey also highlights the significant financial burden associated with medical travel.
Health and medical trips recorded the highest average expenditure among the major categories of overnight trips, with rural households spending an average of ₹29,454 per trip, while urban households spent ₹41,649 per trip.
This makes medical travel substantially more expensive than many other forms of domestic travel covered under the survey. The expenditure includes both package and non-package components.
The difference between rural and urban spending also points to variations in the cost of healthcare, accommodation, transportation and other expenses associated with medical journeys.
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Uttar Pradesh leads in visitor-trips
The survey also identifies the states that accounted for the largest shares of visitor-trips when visitors travelling within and outside their home states were combined.
Uttar Pradesh accounted for the highest share at 15.7%, followed by Tamil Nadu at 13.4% and Rajasthan at 8%.
The data does not mean that these states were exclusively visited for medical purposes, but highlights their overall share in the visitor-trips covered under the relevant overnight-trip category.
Rural households rely heavily on buses
Transportation patterns also reveal differences between rural and urban travellers. For overnight trips undertaken for the selected purposes, bus travel accounted for 32% of visitor-trips among rural households.
Among urban households, trains were the most commonly used mode, accounting for 35% of visitor-trips.
Accommodation choices also varied. In urban areas, hotels and guesthouses accounted for 36% of visitor-trips, making them the most preferred stay option. In rural areas, other non-commercial accommodation accounted for the largest share at 28%, including second homes, employer-provided accommodation and free accommodation provided by religious or missionary organisations.
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Domestic medical tourism highlights healthcare mobility
The findings underline that India's tourism economy is not driven only by leisure, religious travel or recreation. Healthcare itself is a significant reason for people to travel domestically, with medical trips accounting for a sizeable share of overnight journeys and generating the highest expenditure among the surveyed purposes.
The survey covered 24,778 First Stage Units (FSUs) across India and collected information from 2,46,113 households, including 1,42,603 rural and 1,03,510 urban households.
Conducted through Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing (CAPI), the survey captured information on travel, duration, transportation, accommodation and expenditure.
Health and medical needs have emerged as one of the biggest drivers of domestic travel in India, with the latest government tourism expenditure survey showing a substantial share of overnight trips undertaken for medical purposes.
According to the Domestic Tourism Expenditure Survey (DTES) 2025-26, released by the National Statistics Office (NSO) under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), health and medical trips accounted for 30% of overnight trips undertaken for selected purposes during the last 365 days. The survey was conducted between July 2025 and June 2026 as part of the NSS 80th round.
The findings provide insight into the scale of India's domestic medical travel, where people increasingly travel outside their usual place of residence to access healthcare services.
READ THIS: Domestic tourism: Nearly 1 in 2 overnight trips in India are for pilgrimage, religious purposes
Medical trips second only to pilgrimage
Among overnight trips undertaken during the last 365 days for holidaying, leisure and recreation, pilgrimage and religious activities, health and medical purposes, and shopping, pilgrimage and religious travel recorded the highest share at 48%.
Health and medical travel emerged as the second-largest category overall. The trend was particularly pronounced in rural India, where 38.4% of such overnight trips were undertaken for health and medical purposes. In comparison, urban areas recorded the highest share for holidaying, leisure and recreation at 36.4%.
The figures indicate the importance of healthcare access as a reason for inter-city and inter-state domestic mobility, particularly among rural households.
Medical travel comes with the highest expenditure
The survey also highlights the significant financial burden associated with medical travel.
Health and medical trips recorded the highest average expenditure among the major categories of overnight trips, with rural households spending an average of ₹29,454 per trip, while urban households spent ₹41,649 per trip.
This makes medical travel substantially more expensive than many other forms of domestic travel covered under the survey. The expenditure includes both package and non-package components.
The difference between rural and urban spending also points to variations in the cost of healthcare, accommodation, transportation and other expenses associated with medical journeys.
DON'T MISS: Kashi model comes to Bihar: ₹2,520 crore makeover planned around Vishnupad Temple
Uttar Pradesh leads in visitor-trips
The survey also identifies the states that accounted for the largest shares of visitor-trips when visitors travelling within and outside their home states were combined.
Uttar Pradesh accounted for the highest share at 15.7%, followed by Tamil Nadu at 13.4% and Rajasthan at 8%.
The data does not mean that these states were exclusively visited for medical purposes, but highlights their overall share in the visitor-trips covered under the relevant overnight-trip category.
Rural households rely heavily on buses
Transportation patterns also reveal differences between rural and urban travellers. For overnight trips undertaken for the selected purposes, bus travel accounted for 32% of visitor-trips among rural households.
Among urban households, trains were the most commonly used mode, accounting for 35% of visitor-trips.
Accommodation choices also varied. In urban areas, hotels and guesthouses accounted for 36% of visitor-trips, making them the most preferred stay option. In rural areas, other non-commercial accommodation accounted for the largest share at 28%, including second homes, employer-provided accommodation and free accommodation provided by religious or missionary organisations.
ALSO READ: AI biotech without humans? Stanford deploys 37,000 agents to hunt new therapies
Domestic medical tourism highlights healthcare mobility
The findings underline that India's tourism economy is not driven only by leisure, religious travel or recreation. Healthcare itself is a significant reason for people to travel domestically, with medical trips accounting for a sizeable share of overnight journeys and generating the highest expenditure among the surveyed purposes.
The survey covered 24,778 First Stage Units (FSUs) across India and collected information from 2,46,113 households, including 1,42,603 rural and 1,03,510 urban households.
Conducted through Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing (CAPI), the survey captured information on travel, duration, transportation, accommodation and expenditure.