'People in rural areas travel more'

People living in rural areas travel more than the urban population, and contribute significantly to the growth of tourism, according to a survey.

Of the 550 million domestic tourists in 2002 at the national level, rural population constituted 71 per cent, the survey conducted by National Council of Applied Economic Research said.

Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan were five states that contributed to the growth of tourism, the survey conducted for the Department of Tourism said.

The survey said that average expenditure per trip was the highest for travel related to 'leisure and holiday' and lowest for 'social purposes'.