After 4 years of pause, Kailash Yatra bookings saw marked surge in 2026

After a four-year pause, bookings for the Kailash Yatra surged significantly in 2026. The yatra, which was suspended between 2020 and 2025 due to the Covid-19 pandemic and strained India-China relations, resumed in the summer of 2025. This marked the first tangible outcome of the thawing relations between the two countries. However, the surge in bookings occurred in 2026, when the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) increased the visitor quota from 750 to 1,000.

While the MEA officially announced the new quota, private operators saw an even greater increase in bookings, with thousands of Indian passport holders, including over a thousand non-resident Indians (NRIs), signing up for the yatra. Despite rising costs due to inflation and additional fees for services, the surge in bookings was unprecedented.

The yatra, a deeply spiritual pilgrimage to Mount Kailash and Mansarovar Lake in Tibet, is also one of the world's most complex logistically. It requires extensive diplomatic coordination, meticulous planning, and strict medical screening due to the high altitude and challenging terrain. In 2025, out of the 750 pilgrims who registered, 688 completed the journey.