New Delhi, April 22 : Travel searches for Ayodhya increased by 585 per cent, Ujjain by 359 per cent, and Badrinath by 343 per cent in 2023, as compared to 2022, a new report showed on Monday.

According to the online travel company MakeMyTrip, searches for destinations with or around religious spots grew 97 per cent in the last two years in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities.

"As India emerges as a formidable force in the tourism sector, these insights can help bridge the demand and supply gaps in the travel and hospitality space," said Rajesh Magow, Co-founder and Group CEO, MakeMyTrip.

"This means crafting policies, identifying destinations, and creating experiences that resonate with the unique travel preferences and aspirations," he added.

Moreover, the report found that the number of people taking more than three trips per year increased by 25 per cent in 2023 as compared to 2019.

Searches for emerging international destinations rose multi-fold last year, which include Hong Kong, Almaty, Paro, Baku, Da Nang and Tbilisi.

Family travel bookings surged by 64 per cent in 2023, as compared to 2022, followed by solo travel booking, which grew by 23 per cent over the same comparative period.

As per the report, UPI was the most preferred payment method for booking travel, accounting for about 40 per cent of all transactions, followed by credit cards.

The credit card was the most used payment mode for high-value transactions, such as booking international hotels and flights.

/IANS