Historically renowned as a sacred city for elderly pilgrims, Varanasi is now undergoing a generational shift. In recent days, young Indian tourists (18–35) are increasingly seeking emotional renewal and spiritual connection in Varanasi, moving beyond traditional spiritual frameworks, and influenced by post-pandemic mental health concerns and the pervasive impact of digital media. This study argues that these tourists are reshaping spiritual tourism through experiential practices such as walking under the moonlight, listening to distant chants, photographing ancient ghats, engaging with locals, and savouring local art and food. Though so-called non-spiritual, these practices are deeply reflective and transformative, remoulding spiritual tourism through an experiential lens where emotion, mindfulness, and digital expression converge. Employing a quasi-qualitative approach that combines in-depth interviews and digital ethnography via Instagram, this study analyses how youth-led narratives are reimagining Varanasi’s spiritual landscape. The study also identifies emerging trends, including riverside retreat tourism, and spiritual healing tourism, and categorizes them into mystical night tourism, experiential heritage tourism, community-based tourism and etc. based on the spiritual experiences and activities, reshaping the tourism sector. Furthermore, this pape contributes to ongoing debates on youth-driven sacred engagement and the evolving dynamics of spiritual tourism, underscoring how immersive, affective experiences are shaping new trends in spiritual tourism and offering a fresh perspective on the reimagination of sacred spaces like Varanasi.
Halder et al. (Wed,) studied this question.
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