Indian households spend an average of Rs 785 a month on domestic overnight trips, the first National Household Travel Survey by the National Sample Survey Office has found.

The survey reveals a sharp urban-rural divide. Urban households spend Rs 1,044 a month on travel, nearly double the Rs 612 spent by rural households.

The findings offer the first official, large-scale picture of how India travels within its own borders. Domestic tourism has boomed in recent years, with better roads, cheaper rail and air options, and rising incomes putting holidays within reach of more families.

Travel and hospitality businesses watch such data closely because household spending on trips feeds directly into demand for hotels, transport and local services. The urban-rural gap also signals where the next wave of tourism growth could come from.

The survey is expected to guide government tourism policy, from infrastructure spending to promotion campaigns aimed at first-time travellers in smaller towns and villages.