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Uttar Pradesh's tourism department said the holy month of Shravan in 2025 witnessed an 'unprecedented' surge of faith and festivities across Uttar Pradesh, shattering all previous records in religious tourism.The department stated that at Lucknow’s famed Mankameshwar Temple, daily pilgrim numbers rose from an average of 5,000–6,000 to over 15,000–20,000 during Shravan. At Budheshwar Temple, footfall crossed 20,000 every Monday and Wednesday. Barabanki’s Lodheswar Mahadev Temple welcomed nearly 1.2 million devotees, with Mondays drawing up to 300,000 people.Bagpat’s Shravan Mela attracted approximately 1.4 million visitors, with over 500,000 arriving in a single day. More than 100,000 kanwariyas carried Ganga water from Hapur’s Garhmukteshwar Ghat, while Lakhimpur Kheri’s Gola Gokaran Nath Temple saw between 800,000 and 1 million visitors. "Varanasi’s Shri Kashi Vishwanath Dham remained the crown jewel of Shravan celebrations. Estimates suggest footfall rose over 10% compared to last year, averaging 70,000–82,000 visitors daily, peaking on Mondays. The increase reflects not only the city’s spiritual magnetism but also the state’s successful efforts in facilities and crowd management," the state's tourism department said in a statement. According to July 2025 figures from the Uttar Pradesh Tourism Department, Shravan month saw a massive upswing in tourism-linked activity in Lucknow. Around 350,000 tourists stayed at hotels, including nearly 5,000 foreign visitors. Traditional fairs drew over 604,000 people, while cultural events and festivals saw participation from about 49,200 and 16,700 visitors respectively. Tourism and Culture Minister Jaiveer Singh said Shravan 2025 has gone down as a 'golden chapter' in Uttar Pradesh’s religious, cultural, and economic life. "Record-breaking pilgrim turnout has reaffirmed that UP is India’s foremost religious tourism hub. We ensured that every devotee enjoyed an uninterrupted, safe, and fulfilling experience while significantly strengthening infrastructure at pilgrimage sites," he added.

Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) on Tuesday reported a 8% year-on-year (YoY) rise in its consolidated net profit for the quarter ended June 30, 2025, at Rs 331 crore, compared to Rs 308 crore in the same quarter last year. Sequentially, net profit was down from Rs 358 crore in the March 2025 quarter.Revenue from operations for the quarter stood at Rs 1,160 crore, up 3% from Rs 1,117 crore in the corresponding quarter last year, but lower than Rs 1,268.53 crore in the March 2025 quarter. The growth was supported by higher contributions from the catering and internet ticketing segments.Segment-wise, catering revenue came in at Rs 546.78 crore versus Rs 558.89 crore a year ago, while internet ticketing revenue rose to Rs 358.75 crore from Rs 329.07 crore.The Rail Neer packaged drinking water business posted revenue of Rs 110.49 crore, compared to Rs 111.47 crore last year. Tourism revenue saw a sharp jump to Rs 147.69 crore from Rs 122.32 crore a year earlier.Profit before tax from the internet ticketing business was Rs 301.89 crore, up from Rs 272.33 crore last year. The catering business posted a PBT of Rs 71.74 crore versus Rs 77.92 crore, while Rail Neer PBT rose to Rs 15.40 crore from Rs 13.58 crore. The tourism segment’s PBT stood at Rs 12.86 crore against Rs 9.33 crore last year.Total expenses in Q1 FY26 were Rs 778.73 crore, compared to Rs 759.36 crore in the year-ago period, with employee benefit expenses at Rs 75.74 crore and other expenses at Rs 41.48 crore.Other income for the quarter was Rs 61.19 crore, up from Rs 51.42 crore in Q1 FY25.