Indian Economy19 Concepts & Facts

Domestic Tourism Expenditure Survey (DTES) 2025–26 GK Facts, Overview & Study Guide

Reviewed by the Master10 Editorial Board for accuracy, clarity and competitive-exam relevance.Editorial Policy

The Domestic Tourism Expenditure Survey (DTES) 2025–26 represents a nationwide socio-economic household inquiry executed by the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO), operating under the National Statistical Office (NSO) within the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI). Conducted in partnership with the Ministry of Tourism, DTES functions as the premier statistical instrument capturing household-level demand-side travel behavior across rural and urban India. Methodologically aligned with the United Nations World Tourism Organization standards, the survey documents overnight trips lasting up to 365 days—excluding continuous absences of 180 days or more—and same-day excursion trips. By recording granular disbursements across transportation, lodging, food services, leisure activities, and retail shopping, DTES computes average per-capita trip expenditure and overall domestic consumption.

The historical evolution of domestic tourism statistics in India trace back through periodic NSS rounds, notably the NSS 65th Round conducted in 2008–09 and the NSS 72nd Round completed in 2014–15. The DTES 2023–24 and 2025–26 iterations introduced advanced digital enumeration by deploying Computer-Assisted Personal Interviewing (CAPI) on handheld electronic devices across stratified primary sampling units nationwide. The empirical architecture segments domestic travel into six primary functional purposes: Social and Visiting Friends or Relatives (VFR), Religious and Pilgrimage travel, Holiday and Recreation, Health and Medical treatments, Business and MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions), and Educational pursuits. This scientific stratification generates robust microdata on spatial movement patterns, seasonality shifts, transport mode choices, and demographic spending differentials.

In macroeconomic governance, DTES microdata functions as the primary empirical foundation for compiling India's third and fourth Tourism Satellite Account (TSA), isolating the exact Gross Value Added (GVA) generated by domestic tourist consumption. Survey findings directly inform targeted central schemes, including Swadesh Darshan 2.0 and PRASHAD (Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual, Heritage Augmentation Drive), directing capital expenditure toward high-density pilgrimage and cultural circuits. For competitive aspirants undertaking UPSC civil services, Indian Statistical Service, and State PSC examinations, analyzing DTES illuminates household consumption patterns, the informal hospitality economy, regional infrastructure disparities, and statistical sampling designs governed by the Collection of Statistics Act, 2008, showcasing evidence-based public policy formulation.

Key Concepts & Self-Assessment19 Key Facts

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The Domestic Tourism Expenditure Survey is executed by the National Sample Survey Office under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation.

DTES 2025–26 builds upon historical data collection rounds including the NSS 65th Round from 2008–09 and NSS 72nd Round from 2014–15.

Field investigators utilize Computer-Assisted Personal Interviewing tablets to enhance data integrity, reduce recording latency, and eliminate physical paper questionnaires.

An overnight tourist trip is defined as a non-routine journey lasting at least one night but fewer than 365 consecutive days.

Continuous stays exceeding 180 days at a single destination disqualify a journey from being classified as a domestic tourism trip.

Same-day excursions measure round-trip leisure or functional travel originating and terminating at the usual place of residence within twenty-four hours.

The survey categorizes travel motivation into six principal segments: social gatherings, religious pilgrimages, recreation, medical treatment, commercial business, and education.

Visiting Friends and Relatives represents the highest aggregate trip volume among Indian households, characterized by lower commercial accommodation expenses.

Medical and wellness tourism exhibits the highest average per-trip expenditure due to institutional hospital bills and specialized diagnostic treatments.

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Religious pilgrimage circuits generate substantial domestic mobility, directing discretionary expenditure toward regional transport operators, dharamsalas, and local handicraft artisans.

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DTES systematically itemizes expenditure across five core expenditure buckets: passenger transportation, lodging services, food and beverage, shopping, and recreation.

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Shopping expenditure capture highlights micro-purchases of regional textiles and handicrafts, measuring monetary transfers from urban travelers to rural cottage industries.

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Survey data constitutes the foundational demand-side empirical input required to calculate Tourism Direct Gross Value Added within Tourism Satellite Accounts.

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The Ministry of Tourism applies DTES tourist movement density maps to prioritize infrastructure upgrades under the revised Swadesh Darshan 2.0 framework.

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PRASHAD scheme allocations rely on DTES spiritual mobility statistics to develop pilgrimage amenities, sanitation facilities, and pilgrim reception centers.

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The sampling frame utilizes Census villages for rural strata and Urban Frame Survey blocks for urban strata, ensuring balanced spatial representation.

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DTES captures private vehicle fuel consumption, unorganized bus transport, and train fares to evaluate domestic transport modal split preferences.

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Information collected during DTES remains strictly confidential and protected against commercial misuse under the statutory provisions of the Collection of Statistics Act.

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Economic planners utilize DTES findings to measure domestic multiplier effects, employment absorption capacities, and regional service-sector growth dynamics across Indian states.

Subject Specialist Commentary

Analytical perspective & practical exam advice from the Master10 academic board

Educator's Insight

Consider a family ledger that tracks every rupee spent during holidays, temple pilgrimages, and medical visits away from home. While standard economic surveys only measure what families purchase within their neighborhood shops, the DTES tracks where mobile consumer money flows across state borders. This reveals how holiday makers inject purchasing power into remote village economies through homestays, auto drivers, roadside eateries, and local artisan handicraft stalls.

A recurring exam trap confuses domestic tourist trips with routine residential migration; stays exceeding 180 continuous days are excluded from tourism tallies. Additionally, business trips paid by corporate employers are categorized under business tourism rather than personal leisure travel. Remember the mnemonic TRACK: Travel duration rules, Religious-medical segmentation, Accommodation spending, CAPI digital interviews, and Key satellite account integration. This mental model secures accurate answers in competitive examinations.

Domestic Tourism Expenditure Survey (DTES) 2025–26 GK Facts, Overview & Study Guide

Key Concepts & Self-Assessment19 Key Facts

Subject Specialist Commentary

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