Back

The Bigger issue isbthat those who goes on religious pilgrimage, mostly opt for their local travel agent in their area and they don't trust the OTA like MMT. But the market according to your numbers is $59 Billion so even a small part of it is huge. so you can do some market research and go ahead with this

I've seen countless startups try to crack this space and fail miserably. The religious travel industry in India may be worth billions on paper, but it's incredibly fragmented and dominated by hyperlocal players with deep community connections. Tech companies consistently underestimate how much these pilgrimages are built on trust, tradition, and family connections. Your average pilgrim to Varanasi doesn't want an app - they want the same guide their grandfather used. The "no big players" part is misleading - there are thousands of small, deeply entrenched players who understand local customs in ways Silicon Valley-inspired startups never will.

I invested in two startups in this space, and both are performing exceptionally well. The key differentiator? They didn't try to change pilgrim behavior - they enhanced existing patterns. One provides verified homestays with devout families near major temples, offering authentic spiritual experiences without the commercial hotel feel. The other built a network of local guides who are actual religious scholars. The numbers in the post are actually conservative - our data shows the market growing even faster than the official projections, especially post-pandemic when domestic tourism surged as international restrictions continued.

We do have an idea around this. In case someone is interested, please reach out.

Just found out after mahakumbh how cash rich this industry is

this mahakumbh is turning point of this industries people will start look after this.

This is actually really good insight. Because getting the first mover advantage in this sector will highly benefit that company. Plus looking through a political tangent, this has the scope of getting required political support too. The company can partner up with makemytrip too and increase the customer base. With good growth we can also expand to international travels.

It's a seasonal, fragmented and a very price conscious segment. Tie up with the temples and maybe you will be successful but otherwise, I think it will be difficult to crack.

Huge opportunity fr