'Lore-tripping' turns Indian legends, curses into travel itineraries
Travellers are increasingly planning trips around haunted forts, cursed villages and local legends, a trend termed "lore-tripping", according to a report. The term comes from Airbnb, whose survey found 90% of Gen Z respondents found such lesser-known places appealing, citing affordability, authentic local culture and attractions found nowhere else. Indian examples include Bhangarh Fort and Kuldhara in Rajasthan, Roopkund in Uttarakhand, Dumas Beach in Gujarat, Barog in Himachal Pradesh and Dow Hill in West Bengal. The Archaeological Survey of India bars visitors to Bhangarh after sunset.
Source
Times Now · read the original report ↗
Desk check · some claims need care
What the desk checked (5)
- The term 'lore-tripping' comes from Airbnb, which found Gen Z increasingly choosing lesser-known towns with unusual stories. — Attributed to Airbnb in the source; no survey date, sample size or link given.
- 90% of Gen Z respondents found such places appealing, citing affordability, local culture and unique attractions. — Figure appears in the source and is attributed to the Airbnb survey; underlying methodology not stated.
- The Archaeological Survey of India bars visitors to Bhangarh Fort after sunset. — Stated as official policy in the source; no ASI order or document cited.
- Kuldhara village near Jaisalmer was abandoned overnight nearly 200 years ago and cursed by its residents. — Presented as local belief/oral tradition, not verified fact.
- Roopkund lake in Uttarakhand reveals hundreds of centuries-old human bones when ice melts. — Descriptive claim in source; no research or authority cited.
Analysts’ view opinion
On the surface this is a travel-trend story, but underneath it sits a question of inter-state tourism competition. Bhangarh, Kuldhara, Roopkund, Dumas, Barog and Dow Hill are spread across Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh and West Bengal — states run by different parties — so no single government can claim this trend as its own. If young, budget-conscious travellers are moving away from marquee monuments towards small towns, the political question becomes who gets the funds, roads, safety cover and local jobs at constituency level.
- Because the listed sites span several states, promoting this niche could easily become a Centre-state and state-versus-state competitive exercise.
- A shift from flagship monuments to smaller towns gives local leaders a usable argument about income and employment reaching rural and semi-urban constituencies.
- The Archaeological Survey's bar on visitors after sunset at Bhangarh illustrates the standing administrative tension between tourism promotion and heritage protection or safety.
- Branding destinations around curses and ghost stories carries cultural and religious sensitivities, especially at a site like Dumas Beach that the story links to a former cremation ground.
- The trend originates in a private company's survey, and the story cites no government policy or scheme built around it — a sign it has not yet become a political agenda item.
What to watch — Watch whether state tourism departments fold "lore-tripping" into official campaigns and budget allocations, or whether heritage restrictions such as the sunset curb at Bhangarh stay untouched.
The story establishes no government policy, funding decision or political reaction, and offers no independent visitor-number data to confirm the shift it describes.
Deep dive
Research brief · 8 facts · 3 dates · exam-readyThe brief
Context
"Lore-tripping" is a travel trend in which the story attached to a place — a curse, a haunting, a local legend — becomes the main reason to visit, rather than scenery or monument fame. The term comes from Airbnb, which found that Gen Z travellers are increasingly choosing small, under-the-radar towns known for strange stories over established tourist hotspots. India, with thousands of oral histories, temple legends and folk memories across forts, villages and forests, already has a ready-made supply of such destinations. Sites such as Bhangarh Fort in Rajasthan and Roopkund in Uttarakhand draw curious travellers precisely because of the legends around them.
Key facts
- The term "lore-tripping" comes from Airbnb, whose survey found Gen Z increasingly picking small, under-the-radar towns known for strange stories over usual tourist hotspots.
- 90% of Gen Z respondents in the Airbnb survey found such lesser-known places appealing.
- The three main drivers cited were affordability, authentic local culture and attractions found nowhere else.
- Bhangarh Fort, Rajasthan, a 17th-century fort linked to a curse from a tantrik, is widely called one of India's most haunted places; the Archaeological Survey of India officially bars visitors after sunset.
- Kuldhara, a village near Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, is said by locals to have been abandoned overnight nearly 200 years ago and cursed by its fleeing residents so it could never be resettled.
- Roopkund in Uttarakhand, nicknamed "Skeleton Lake", reveals hundreds of centuries-old human bones when its ice melts.
- Dumas Beach near Surat, Gujarat, is a black-sand beach once used as a Hindu cremation ground, now known for stories of whispers and shadows after dark.
- Barog in Himachal Pradesh, a railway station on the Shimla toy-train route, is said to be haunted by the British engineer who built the tunnel; Dow Hill near Kurseong, West Bengal, is a forest locals avoid after dusk.
Timeline
- 17th centuryPeriod of Bhangarh Fort, Rajasthan, which is linked to a tantrik's curse legend.
- Nearly 200 years agoKuldhara village near Jaisalmer was, as locals say, abandoned overnight and cursed by its fleeing residents.
- Not stated in the source (date of survey)Airbnb survey finds 90% of Gen Z respondents find small, story-driven, under-the-radar places appealing.
Who has a stake
- Gen Z travellers — Seek affordable, authentic and "only-here" experiences; 90% found lesser-known story-driven places appealing.
- Airbnb — Coined the term "lore-tripping" and conducted the survey identifying the shift away from conventional hotspots.
- Archaeological Survey of India — Custodian and regulator at Bhangarh Fort, where it officially bars visitors after sunset.
- Small towns and villages (Kuldhara, Barog, Kurseong, Surat area) — Stand to gain visitor footfall and income from legends and oral histories that rarely feature in glossy brochures.
- Local communities holding the legends — Their folk memory, taboos (avoiding sites after dark) and oral histories become the core tourism product.
Why it matters
If lore-tripping keeps growing, India's next tourism boom may be led not by its headline monuments but by its ghosts, curses and legends — spreading travel demand to small towns and villages that rarely feature in tourism campaigns. It also changes what the tourism product is: oral history and folk memory, rather than scenery, become the asset that draws visitors and money.
UPSC angle
Prelims pointers
- "Lore-tripping": term coined by Airbnb for travel planned around legends, curses and local stories.
- Airbnb survey: 90% of Gen Z respondents found small, under-the-radar story-linked places appealing.
- Bhangarh Fort (Rajasthan): 17th-century fort; Archaeological Survey of India bars visitors after sunset.
- Kuldhara: abandoned village near Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, said to have been deserted nearly 200 years ago.
- Roopkund, Uttarakhand: Himalayan lake nicknamed "Skeleton Lake" for centuries-old human bones exposed when ice melts.
- Barog is on the Shimla toy-train route (Himachal Pradesh); Dow Hill forest lies near Kurseong, West Bengal.
Mains framing
The rise of "lore-tripping" — a term coined by Airbnb after finding that 90% of surveyed Gen Z respondents prefer small, under-the-radar places with strange stories — signals a shift in Indian tourism demand from monument-led sightseeing to narrative-led, experiential travel. The drivers named are affordability, authentic local culture and attractions found nowhere else, all of which favour India's dispersed stock of forts, villages, lakes and forests carrying oral histories: Bhangarh and Kuldhara in Rajasthan, Roopkund in Uttarakhand, Dumas Beach in Gujarat, Barog in Himachal Pradesh and Dow Hill in West Bengal. The implication is a possible redistribution of tourist footfall and income towards small towns whose folk memory rarely enters glossy brochures, while also raising questions of site management — the Archaeological Survey of India already restricts entry to Bhangarh after sunset, showing that heritage regulation and curiosity-driven visitation can pull in opposite directions. A grounded way forward lies in documenting and presenting local legends with community involvement, ensuring visitor safety and conservation at fragile or restricted sites, and treating oral tradition as heritage infrastructure rather than mere spectacle; the source does not detail any specific policy response.
Key terms
- Lore-tripping
- Airbnb-coined term for planning travel around a place's legend, curse or story rather than its scenery or fame.
- Archaeological Survey of India (ASI)
- Body that manages protected monuments such as Bhangarh Fort, where it officially bars visitors after sunset.
- Bhangarh Fort
- 17th-century Rajasthan fort widely called one of India's most haunted, linked to a curse from a tantrik.
- Kuldhara
- Village near Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, said by locals to have been abandoned overnight nearly 200 years ago and cursed against resettlement.
- Roopkund
- Himalayan lake in Uttarakhand called "Skeleton Lake" because hundreds of centuries-old human bones appear when the ice melts.
- Dow Hill
- Forest near Kurseong, West Bengal, avoided by locals after dusk due to decades-old stories of a headless boy and strange cries.
Practice questions
- What is "lore-tripping", and why does the trend suit India's tourism landscape particularly well? Illustrate with examples.
- Discuss how narrative- and legend-based tourism can redistribute tourist footfall towards small towns, and the site-management challenges it creates for bodies like the Archaeological Survey of India.
- "Oral histories and folk memory are as much heritage assets as monuments." Examine in the light of emerging travel trends in India.
Grounded only in the source report — figures and dates are the source's, not inferred.