There hasn’t been a Mahakumbh of the scale and size of the one which is currently underway in Prayagraj in the history of the spiritual assembly in the country. Never in the past, governments have set such targets in terms of visitor footfalls, revenue targets, economic impact, etc. in advance for such pilgrimages and worked assiduously to achieve that. Addressing the international media at the beginning of the Kumbh, the officials of the state and the centre have collectively spelt out the targets – contribution to the Indian economy at INR 2 lakh crore; minimum one percent growth to UP’s GDP; trade in daily essentials at INR 17,310 crore; business worth INR 2800 crore for hotel and travel sectors; religious materials and flowers are estimated to generate INR 2,000 crore and INR 800 crore, respectively.There was no stone unturned, so to say, in realising the targets set, by creating an ecosystem which comprises the political leadership, different ministries and departments of the government or the whole machinery so to say, the who’s who of the corporate world, NGOs, etc.

A casual visit to Prayagraj and the Kumbh area spread across 4000 hectares would make it evident where India’s tourism is moving to and the intent.

“It’s double the size this year. It’s seen to be believed. The hospitality facilities have gone by 10X this time. It’s the first time that the potential of religious tourism is counted and measured,” said Rahul Gupta, Project Head, Eyak Ventures Private Limited. The Ahmedabad-based event management company has constructed various structures within the project site, including the Ganga Pandal, a Convention Hall, Public Accommodations for over 1500 guests, a Judges Colony with premium tents, and a Circuit House for VIP and VVIP dignitaries. Additionally, they have created VVIP Akhadas for Saints and Sadhus, such as the Nagar Vikas Rajkiya Shibir, Yogi Mahasabha Akhada, Panchayati Niranjan Akhada, Panchayati Anand Akhada, and Satva Baba Shivir.

There has been a marked difference in the profile of people visiting the Mahakumbh, which was missing in the earlier editions, Gupta said. The assurances in terms of accommodation and other facilities have really made the difference this time around, he informed.

“Beyond economic statistics, the event offers grassroots empowerment, connecting local communities with global visitors, while reinforcing India’s reputation as a hub for spiritual and cultural tourism. The Maha Kumbh Mela 2025 not only promises to set new benchmarks for revenue generation but also showcases how a deeply rooted spiritual event can catalyse inclusive economic growth,” Gupta said, talking about the longer-term impact of the event.

ISKCON is an active and regular partner in all the Kumbh melas. But Madhukant Das, director-CSR, ISKCON Dwarka admits that their role hasn’t been so big in the past. “We used to handle 10,000 to 20,000 meals a day till the last Kumbh. But this time we are providing an average of 90,000 meals a day and that goes up to 1.5 lakh on special days,” he said.

ISKCON Dwarka has set up three mega kitchens in partnership with Adani Group and distributes food at 40 centers across Prayagraj, including transit hubs and holding areas of pilgrims. From these mega kitchens, over 18,000 housekeeping staff are fed.

“Even in the mela ground we have 18 to 20 small and big centres for food distribution,” said Das. The fully mechanised mega kitchens have capacity to cook 20,000 meals per hour under the supervision of experienced chefs.

Apart from food, ISKCON has set up tented accommodation, dormitories, etc. at Mahakumbh. These include 17 luxury suite tents to service special guests, and 100 beds in sector 19 of the Mela.

“We experimented with these types of superior tents for the first time. It was a big challenge for us,” said Das. As far as demand is concerned, Das said that they are fully booked and demand is coming as far as Mexico, France, etc.

“We can safely say that spiritual tourism has come a long way. The enthusiasm and the demand has been exceptional,” he stated.

“This event is a major pivot, which would give the necessary push to religious and spiritual tourism in the country and I expect a surge and a positive spin off in the coming months in the number of visitors going to religious destinations,” said Ashish Vohra, founder & CEO of Onora Hospitality, which is managing the operations for two luxury camps at the Maha Kumbh 2025 -juSTa Shivir Jhusi and Bookmark Resorts Naga Shivir.

Unlike in the past, people of a certain age, used to visit such spiritual events, this Mahakumbh has seen all those barriers going away, says Vohra. “Maha Kumbh 2025 has been unique in the sense that for the first time ever, we witnessed people of all age groups and demographics openly embracing spirituality and enjoying the entire experience.”

The reports of kilometres long queues and traffic snarls are not dampening the spirits of people. The number of airplanes being handled by the Prayagraj airport has tripled, from less than a dozen on an average day to over 30 every day. The Indian railway is running close to 3000 special trains which looks to be inadequate to meet the demand.

Talking about the demand, Rajesh Magow, Co-Founder and Group CEO, MakeMyTrip, said, “Searches for Prayagraj on MakeMyTrip have surged by an extraordinary 23 times + year-on-year as devotees from across India plan their journey to Maha Kumbh. Travel demand is particularly high during the event’s opening and closing week. As devotees seek immersive experiences closer to the heart of the Maha Kumbh, tent accommodations have witnessed strong demand. MakeMyTrip’s eight specially curated packages for the Maha Kumbh have also seen positive uptick, with families and groups making up the largest share.”

As per the latest data published by JustDial, the hospitality and travel sector has demonstrated remarkable growth throughout the event. Initial searches for Hotels, Dharamshalas, and Tourist Guide Services searches increased fivefold from December to January. As the Mahakumbh progressed, the demand continued to rise, with Travel Agents seeing a 110 percent increase in the latter part of January, while Mahakumbh Mela Tents searches grew by 87 percent and Hotels by 86 percent.

The tempo created by this Mahakumbh will certainly make many states look at events like this differently in coming years, says experts. The next Kumbh is slated to be held in Nashik in 2027 and service providers can use their learnings from Prayag to deliver a better pilgrimage experience to visitors.

The primary challenge at this Mahakumbh was the “information overload” to visitors to the city, said Aakalp Johari, CEO of India Assist, a travel assistance startup, which has been handling the Tourist Information Centres (TICs) at Prayagraj for UP Tourism. Bulk of this information was non-verified and not from credible sources, which not only make the job of TICs difficult, but also put a lot of pressure on the infrastructure.

“It is very important for organisers of such mega events to reach out to people with accurate information about transport, inventory for accommodation, pricing, etc. Lack of such unified information will enable rogue elements to take undue advantage of the situation and jack up prices,” Johari said.

With Incredible India marketing and promotions budgets touching a new low in this year’s budget, the writing on the wall is loud and clear for the travel and tourism industry in the country. Spiritual tourism is India’s new leisure, new business and new adventure tourism!