New Delhi– In a growing appetite for tourism, 19 per cent of India’s nearly 250 million households reported at least one overnight trip for holidaying, leisure, recreation or shopping, according to the National Sample Survey (NSS) data released on Wednesday.

The ministry of statistics and programme implementation on Wednesday released the report titled “Key Indicators of Domestic Tourism in India”.

“During the last 365 days from the date of survey, 19 per cent of Indian households reported at least one overnight trip with any one of the leading purposes as holidaying, leisure-recreation, health-medical and shopping,” the report said.

During the last 30 days 21 per cent of Indian households reported at least one overnight trip with any one of the leading purposes as business, social, religious and pilgrimage, education and training and others.

Majority of overnight trips at all-India level (287.2 lakh from rural and 79.2 lakh from urban areas), completed during the last 365 days, were for the leading purpose of health and medical.

The report said that social trips were the most common among those completed during last 30 days (501.9 lakh overnight trips at all-India level) followed by trips for religious and pilgrimage leading purpose (4.85 lakh trips).

It has also reported that nearly 48 per cent of all single-member trips undertaken by members from a particular household were performed by females in both rural and urban areas for leading purpose health and medical.

The report estimated that the proportion of females for the business purpose trips was very low at two per cent.