India’s twin holy cities, Mathura and Vrindavan, saw a seismic surge in tourism in 2023 — a development that is reshaping pilgrimage, culture, and economy in Uttar Pradesh. According to a recent study by the Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDII), supported by the UP Tourism Department, a staggering 7.9 crore (79 million) people visited Mathura-Vrindavan in 2023.
In this article, we’ll explore the numbers, understand what drives this growth, unpack its economic impact, and look ahead to the opportunities and challenges that lie in store.
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The Numbers: What the Study Found
- Total Visitors: 7.9 crore in 2023, compared to just 76.8 lakh (7.68 million) in 2018 — a more than tenfold increase in five years.
- Overnight vs Day tourists: Of the 7.9 crore, about 43 lakh (4.3 million) were overnight tourists; the rest, roughly 7.5 crore, were same-day returnees.
- Expenditure: Local expenditure by tourists in 2023 was estimated at about ₹15,380 crore.
- Estimated Growth by 2030: The study projects approximately 80 lakh overnight tourists and about 13.9 crore same-day returnees in 2030. Alongside, the local income is expected to jump to ₹42,000 crore.
What Makes Mathura-Vrindavan So Magnetic
Several factors contribute to the twin cities’ meteoric rise as a pilgrimage and tourism powerhouse:
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Spiritual significance & heritage
Mathura is the birthplace of Lord Krishna; Vrindavan is where Krishna spent his childhood. With over 5,000 years of history in the Sanatan tradition, this is not just religion — it is culture, mythology, identity. -
Religious festivals and rituals
Janmashtami, Holi, Govardhan Puja, and other cultural occasions draw massive crowds. These peaks are amplified by better connectivity, publicity, and pilgrim infrastructure. While the study doesn’t break out festival-by-festival numbers, it’s clear these moments intensify the flow. -
Improved access & infrastructure
UP’s focus on tourism infrastructure — better roads, transport, lodging — plus easier travel options make the region more accessible. Homestays, guesthouses, and local accommodations have become more available. The study highlights accommodation and shopping as major expense categories, especially for overnight tourists. -
Cultural tourism & adjacent attractions
Beyond the temples, the atmosphere of Vrindavan’s ghats, the arts, devotional music, local cuisine, and the heritage feel of the towns make the visit more than just a checklist of holy spots.
Economic Impact and What Visitors Spend
The EDII study gives insights into how tourists are contributing to the local economy:
- Spending patterns: Overnight tourists spend an average of ₹1,849 per night, while day tourists spend nearly as much: ₹1,816 during their time.
- Break-down of expenses: For overnight visitors, the largest slice of expenditure is on accommodation (~36%), followed by shopping (~25%), food, and transport. Day visitors spend the most on shopping (~31.3%), then accommodation (~21%), then food (~20%).
- Local income and multiplier effects: Given the large number of tourists, the ripple effect through lodging, local vendors, transport operators, and small businesses is substantial. From rickshaw pullers to food stalls, many livelihoods depend on this tourism boom.
Projections & Strategic Recommendations
EDII’s study doesn’t just stop at numbers — it offers a roadmap. Some of its key recommendations and projections are:
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Visitor growth by 2030: Overnight tourists expected to nearly double; same-day visitors projected to increase almost twofold.
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Increase in economic benefit: Local income from tourism expected to reach ₹42,000 crore by 2030.
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Quality & experience enhancement: The focus shouldn’t just be on increasing footfall, but also improving visitor experience — safety, clean and hygienic lodging, sanitation, better signage, and guided tours.
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Entrepreneurship & inclusion: There is potential to generate more employment, especially for women; support homestays; better organization of stakeholders such as boat operators, rickshaw drivers; and integrating local artisans and food vendors.
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Cultural promotion: Ideas like food festivals, art concerts, leveraging heritage architecture, and positioning Vrindavan as a potential retirement hub are proposed.
Challenges in the Path
With such rapid growth, there are also important challenges to address, to ensure sustainability, inclusion, and preservation:
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Carrying capacity & environmental strain
Overcrowding during peak times leads to pressure on water supply, waste management, and infrastructure (roads, sewage). Without planning, tourist activity can degrade the spiritual and environmental ambience. -
Quality of tourist experience
A high number of same-day return visitors means less time to spend, possibly lower per capita expenditure, and less engagement with local culture. Ensuring good quality lodgings, facilities, and services is essential. -
Preserving heritage & authenticity
As commercialization increases, there is risk of losing the unique heritage, devotional ambience, and authenticity that draw people in the first place. -
Inequality in benefit sharing
Not all locals benefit equally; small vendors, women, the marginalized often face more hurdles. Ensuring equitable gains is a challenge. -
Infrastructure and connectivity needs
Better roads, cleaner public spaces, more efficient public transport, reliable sanitation, and safety are all essential, especially as tourist numbers grow.
Why This Matters Beyond Pilgrimage
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Economic uplift for UP and India: Tourism is one of those sectors with huge multiplier effects — lodging, food, transport, handicrafts, retail. For states like Uttar Pradesh, with large populations and relatively lower economic indices in many regions, pilgrimage tourism becomes a strong lever for growth.
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Cultural preservation: Mathura-Vrindavan are more than tourist spots; they are centers of culture, literature, music, dance, folklore, and devotion. Supporting them sustains intangible heritage.
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Pilgrimage as soft power: For many Indians (and foreigners too), spiritual journeys and religious tourism do not just satisfy faith — they also foster national identity, interfaith understanding, and global cultural interest
What Comes Next: A Vision for Mathura-Vrindavan 2030
To ride this wave sustainably, here’s what stakeholders — government, local community, entrepreneurs, pilgrims themselves — might focus on:
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Tourism Master Plan: City and regional level plans that take into account seasonal peaks, environmental sustainability, heritage conservation, and infrastructure expansion.
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Diversification of offerings: Beyond temple visits — guided heritage walks, cultural festivals, local crafts markets, devotional music concerts, spiritual retreats, wellness tourism.
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Homestay & micro-entrepreneur support: Training, microfinance, enabling policy for local homes to host tourists; involving women and youth in tourism supply chains.
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Smart & green tourism: Promotion of cleaner transport, waste management, solar lighting; eco-friendly facilities; promotion of off-peak tourism; digital aids (apps, QR codes, virtual tours).
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Marketing & outreach: National and international promotion; improving digital visibility; storytelling around heritage; packaging pilgrim trails (Mathura → Vrindavan → other Braj sites), spiritual tourism circuits
Conclusion
The EDII study confirms that Mathura-Vrindavan is no longer just a local pilgrimage destination — it has become a national phenomenon. From 7.68 million visitors in 2018 to nearly 79 million in 2023, the twin cities illustrate how spiritual heritage can be both timeless and contemporary. With projected revenues of ₹42,000 crore by 2030, the economic potential is massive, but only if harnessed with care.
If the experience is enriched and the growth is sustainable, Mathura-Vrindavan could well become a global symbol of living heritage, where devotion, culture, and commerce coexist harmoniously — bringing benefits to pilgrims, local communities, and the broader tapestry of Indian identity
