By- Mansoor, Awanti, Dnyaneshwar, Ishwar
Recently in 2022, as a part of the redevelopment project of Mahakaleshwar temple, Mahakal Lok corridor in Indore was inaugurated by PM Narendra Modi. It quickly became a tourist attraction. People used social media to showcase their visit to the temple. It created a buzz on social media platforms after the release of a song in Nov 2022, named ‘Jaikal Mahakal’, a T-series’ video song from movie Goodbye ft. Amitabh Bachchan and Rashmika Mandhana. It has received over 30 million views on Digital media platforms like YouTube. This soundtrack has also been featured in more than 125K reels on Instagram with nearly a billion views. According to data provided by Shri Mahakaleshwar Temple Committee- ‘In March 2023, Devotees & tourists Footfall at Ujjain city jumped to 1 Lakh per day. Due to this, residential homes have now been converted to guest houses and staycations. This Diwali Ujjain Mahakal Lok attracted tourists like never before’.
Similarly, Har Har Ganga song has over 40 million views on YouTube. Many WhatsApp & Instagram status were flooded with this song. More than 590k reels on Instagram featured this song. Aesthetically pleasing portrayal of Ganga aarti on social media has added a flavor to its popularity. But can we really say that such portrayal of religious and spiritual places on digital media is making a difference?
Religious Tourism Overview
A Tour, be it small or big, is an excellent way to escape the day-to-day hectic schedule. Many people travel to new places, with historic, cultural importance like monuments or museums or to places where they can find some solace such as forests, mountains or beaches. It also includes travelling to places with religious importance or to places where one can draw positive energy & mindfulness. Religious tourism in India is an ancient practice. It is primarily travelling to religious places like temples, mosques, churches etc. or visiting holy sites to involve oneself in religious activities. The prime motive of religious tourism is to perform religious activities like pilgrimage, holy rituals. During this visit to such sites, a tourist gets themselves involved in religious rites and rituals to feel connected with their faith.
On the other hand, spiritual tourism is a form of tourism which may help a tourist to achieve peace, self-realization and self-transformation. Such life changing experiences can be religious or non religious. A tourist travels to spiritual center’s to seek inner peace, self discovery, personal growth and mindfulness. A spiritual expedition allows a tourist to do various spiritual activities like yoga, mediation and encourages ayurveda to be incorporated in daily lifestyle. It has a wider meaning than religious tourism which primarily includes pilgrimage. Spirituality has its base in religion but it has now evolved beyond religious boundaries. A tourist may experience spirituality without any religious references.
India is known as a land of pilgrimage. Many religions have their pilgrimage sites throughout the country and India being one of the largest tourism hubs in the world, many pilgrimage sites account for nearly 60% of all domestic travel. Mainly because pilgrimage practice is a part of one’s faith and a regular affair. This is because religious tourism appeals to people of all ages and income groups, making it the largest market for tourism in India. A prominent research conducted in 2017 found that one in four Indians is interested in visiting religious places. In India, religious places are popular destinations for both pilgrimage and vacations. Pilgrimages are often family affairs, and spending on religious travel has more than doubled in recent years.
Influence of Social Media on religious & spiritual Tourism
In recent years, social media has become an essential bridge that connects tourists and local residents of that particular place. Government is also using social media to promote tourism, and this approach has proven to be the most effective for all kinds of tourism in India. Prior to the rise of social media, traditional media played a crucial role for promoting and encouraging people to visit religious places. A paradigm shift that converted the mediums to online mode are now playing a crucial role in religious tourism. In the Pandemic period Social Media had become the most important feature for connection. Many tourists who were locked down had the chance to visit the places through the medium of digital Platforms. With the physical gatherings and travel being restricted, people shifted to online/ digital platforms to maintain and continue practising their religions. Many religious organizations started live streaming services which offered lessons, workshops, creation of virtual communities in the mode of digital platforms. Social media in turn gives freedom to express and share their spiritual experiences, beliefs and a connection. This creation of virtual community building has now started in promoting and inspiring people to visit religious places now. Social Media also boosted in Online Darshans, many temples, Mosques and other holy places started showcasing the live streams of rites, rituals which allowed devotees/ followers to participate from their home. With live streaming, many religious institutions have created a web portal that caters all the needs of devotees including from worshipping to travels/stays. A prominent data states that more than 60% of India’s population has been inspired to visit religious sites due to developments happening in the particular area. And such developments showcased through online mediums provoke for domestic visits to religious sites.
Online presence of religion and spirituality
Over 4.9 billion people across the globe are now social media users. Facebook, being the most used social media platform has over 3 millions active users monthly. In India, Instagram is the most popular social media platform with over 516 million active users followed by Facebook which has over 492 million active users.
Platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, X, WhatsApp are widely being used for communication, sharing information and to have social interactions. Tourists actively use such platforms to share their travels experiences ,tour photos and videos. Religious and spiritual tourists often travel to religious places , ashrams , wellness center’s etc. share their experiences online. Multimedia and reviews shared by these religious tourists influence the online audience by creating a virtual image about a particular place. Curiosity in their minds drives them to collect more information about location through online reviews, blogs, vlogs or travel guides. Such online evaluation helps them to decide to travel to destinations and seek the desired divine experience. Such user generated content has made many religious sites and spiritual center’s go viral in this digital world, which eventually resulted in rising tourist footfall.
Current Social Media trends
The style and skill of presentation of travel bloggers which can make ritual at pilgrimage look interesting for Millennials, Gen Zs and foreigners travelling to India. Content type on each social media differs, so does the style of presentation. Spiritual tourism content is mostly individual centric while religious tourism focuses on external factors of the destination. Facebook for example, being one of the oldest platforms has all kinds of audience and usually consumes live videos, polls and other UGC. Travel influencers use Instagram to showcase their experiences in short reels or stories, highlighting only parts which can trigger emotions of the viewers. While YouTube content are usually long vlogs, reviews, tutorials and travelers make videos that are more informative on the history of the religious place, travel route, expenses, facilities, etc. which can inspire viewers to be able to easily visit those places. More informed the visitor, the more engaged they will be, more engagement will create good memories and good memories when shared with their family and friends will bring even more tourists to that place. With a staggering user base, social media also allows content creators to effectively engage with audiences.
It has not only empowered creators but also has set up a platform for religious and spiritual leaders to stay connected with their devotees. In India, many spiritual leaders have their accounts on various social media platforms like Instagram, X, Facebook etc. and also have their YouTube channels which are being followed , subscribed and watched by millions of people internationally. Their rise as social media influencers has created a separate space for religious and spiritual activities.
Dedicated Facebook pages and WhatsApp groups related to religious deities are also common on many social media platforms. These are run by devotees themselves and information catered on such groups encourages devotees to share it on their status. Short video apps like Moj and sharechat have many active users which regularly post religious and spiritual content.
Anyhow, this user generated content not only influences family and friends but also foreign travelers to research and plan their trips to such religious sites creating buzz around the destination and boosting the local economy. UGC plays a significant role in associating a sense of security around that religious site for foreign travelers. Visits of famous foreign personalities to religious places make religious tourism look cool. Government initiatives at international level are helpful but it is the User-Generated Content that makes sure how foreigners perceive the Indian religious tourism which helps in brand building of this segment of tourism.
Rapid Infrastructure development of religious sites
There has been an improvement in infrastructure and facilities for tourists together with state governments and the center’s ‘Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Heritage Augmentation Drive’ (PRASHAD). This was targeted towards the tier 3 and tier 4 cities which have a significant number of religious sites across the country. The travel routes to these destinations are most often designed in collaboration with the Indian Railways. Due to such transformations tourists are getting attracted to visit the religious tourism sites in India.
One of the commuters conveyed, “After surfing on the internet, an eye-catchy image of Murudeshwar temple inspired me to visit the location for religious and travel purposes. Further experiencing the reality of the place was totally different then depicted in the image that had appeared on online platforms.”
Image from Internet Image on Camera
What researchers have to say ?
The research from 2021 which was conducted in the State of Assam and Odisha (by Chatterjee J. and Dsilva on Emerald Publishing Limited in 2021) 220 domestic tourist respondents who were visiting Assam and Odisha from other States. It is important to note that the respondents were comfortable with using the internet and over 40% of the respondents were aged above 49 years. It was also found that over 70.05% of the respondents ‘Strongly Agreed’ and 24.9% of the respondents ‘Agreed’ that religious places influenced their visit. When asked about source of information, where tourist destinations were found, following were the replies:
| Preferred Source of Information | % of Respondents |
| Google Search | 11 |
| Blogs | 5 |
| Newspaper | 8 |
| Travel Magazine | 17 |
| Social Media | 22 |
| Online word of mouth | 9 |
| Website of tour provider | 12 |
| Out of home | 6 |
| Others | 10 |
It was to be seen in the above table that 59% of respondents used digital media for their visit to religious places. The study also tried to find out their preferred mode of booking and planning their holidays. It was evident from 81% of respondents that social media active visitors seek freedom in their planning. This research can be taken as a testimony for the rising influence of social media on religious travel.
Digital media : Providing a gateway to non secular records
Digital media has performed a pivotal position in fueling the exponential growth of religious tourism in India. Platforms like social media, tour websites, and spiritual apps have converted the way pilgrims accumulate data, plan itineraries, and connect with fellow tourists. Pilgrims now have access to a wealth of information at their fingertips, allowing them to investigate locations, discover virtual tours, and e book accommodation with ease. Moreover, digital media has fostered a feel of community amongst pilgrims, letting them percentage stories, are searching for steerage, and connect to fellow devotees from throughout the globe.
Impacting Religious institutions
The effect of digital media on religious tourism extends past convenience and connectivity. It has also enabled individuals with physical limitations or journey constraints to clearly participate in non secular rituals and connect to sacred sites remotely. Digital media has also revolutionized the manner religious establishments disseminate facts and have interaction with their followers. Temples, mosques, churches, and gurudwaras have embraced social media, web sites, and stay streaming platforms to attain a wider target market, percentage spiritual teachings, and connect with devotees beyond geographical limitations.
As digital media keeps to permeate every aspect of our lives, its effect on religious tourism is poised to develop even extra pronounced. With its capacity to bridge geographical distances, foster international groups, and enhance non-public stories, virtual media is ushering in a new generation of non secular tourism in India, one which connects individuals with their faith in meaningful and unparalleled approaches.
Need more push though!
But despite the increasing role of digital media in religious tourism, there is not much research done in this area. India, the land of many religions, is blessed with many religious destinations and therefore holds good potential in this segment for tourism. The segment that had revenue of 1,34,543 crore in 2022, if given enough attention will enhance marketing activities and strategic use of digital media. The active promotion of religious places on digital media would enhance the destination’s visibility and accessibility to visitors.
References & Sources :
‘Impact of social media on spiritual tourism in India : International Journal of Religious Tourism And Pilgrimage’ -Alpana A, Komal K- 2021- https://arrow.tudublin.ie/ijrtp/vol9/iss5/10/
‘The Social media factor in the development and promotion of religious tourism’ – M. Murat- 2013, https://acikerisim.erbakan.edu.tr/xmlui/handle/20.500.12452/3016
Ministry of Tourism – https://tourism.gov.in/