Lifestyle Trend: Why night tourism is becoming India’s most healing travel experience You Should Know

You may have visited Qutub Minar once or maybe a few times, but at night it becomes a different spectacle altogether. An aeroplane cuts across the sky above it, warm lights glow against the stone and the surrounding ruins, and on a good day, you might spot a star or two. It’s in that moment that the familiar feels unique. It’s a mood.

Under the night sky, everything takes on a new, slow and calming narrative. And it’s not just about Delhi’s night tourism being on the rise. Night safaris, stargazing, and night walks are now finding a place in itineraries too. These experiences are not just travelogues you document in your heart (and on social media), but indulgences that might help deal with a head that’s often buzzing with unfinished thoughts, cluttered with urgency, and everything else in between.

Travelling is often said to be healing: from processing loss to finding yourself again, or simply taking a break. But there’s something about the night that makes every experience feel a little more beautiful, even for your mental health.

Nighttime magic

‘Noctotourism’ emerged as one of the travel words of the year for 2025, according to Booking.com. It refers to nighttime travel centred around stargazing and low-light stays.

At a global level, another report from the travel platform concluded that almost two-thirds of travellers (62 per cent) are considering trips to darker-sky destinations. Experiences such as starbathing (72 per cent), guided stargazing with experts (59 per cent), witnessing once-in-a-lifetime cosmic events (59 per cent), and constellation tracking (57 per cent) feature high on travellers’ nocturnal wish lists.

In India, this shift is already visible. From the Hanle Dark Sky Reserve in Ladakh to night safaris and stargazing retreats across the country, after-dark experiences are quietly gaining momentum. Speaking of Indian travellers, the survey notes that three out of four (78 per cent) expressed interest in experiencing noctotourism this year.

Such experiences, especially in low-light natural settings, taps into neurobiological and psychological mechanisms that encourage calm, reflection, and a sense of perspective.

And psychology helps explain why the night feels so different.

Night tourism for mental health

At night, especially in low-noise and low-light settings, the brain receives less sensory overload. “This reduces activation of the sympathetic nervous system (fight-or-flight) and allows the parasympathetic system (rest-and-digest) to come online. It results in lower cortisol levels, slower brain rhythms, and a sense of mental spaciousness,” Mehezebin Dordi, clinical psychologist at Sir HN Reliance Foundation Hospital, tells India Today.

Does the night make you feel a little more philosophical, retrospective, or romantic? There’s science to it too.

“Darkness and quiet naturally reduce external demands and social performance cues. This shifts attention inward, activating reflective rather than task-oriented thinking. Evolutionarily, night has always been associated with slowing down and scanning rather than doing, so the brain becomes more contemplative, emotionally aware, and less reactive,” explains Dordi.

Helps overthinking

Generally, overthinking thrives in repetitive mental loops.

According to Dr Neelsha Bherwani, senior consultant psychologist at Apollo Spectra Hospital, Delhi, “Night tourism introduces sensory grounding such as cool air, distant sounds, and visuals completely focused on the environment, which impact these thought cycles. Walking through night markets or listening to nature sounds shifts attention both outward and inward. This kind of change in context acts like a reset button, ultimately reducing mental noise and offering emotional perspective.”

And perhaps no nighttime experience captures this mental shift quite like stargazing.

A sky full of stars

As kids, we all tried counting stars or spotting constellations we read about in school. And that in itself is a moment of wellness. How? It evokes a sense of “awe”. It helps reduce rumination and overthinking.

“Awe” also decreases self-focused anxiety and activates brain networks associated with meaning and emotional regulation.

“Staring at the vastness of the night sky helps reduce self-focused anxiety and makes people feel connected to something larger than themselves. This experience is associated with lower stress, improvement in mood, and increased gratitude. Stargazing also encourages stillness and deep breathing, which helps calm the nervous system and promotes emotional balance,” says Dr Bherwani.

So, next time, don’t miss that ‘yeh tara, woh tara, har tara’ moment.

A good night’s exploration

While night tourism can be calming, it may pose challenges if it impacts sleep routines, increases fatigue, or exposes travellers to environments that feel unsafe. Balance and safety awareness are essential to ensure night travel remains restorative rather than draining.

At night, people often experience clearer thinking and emotional settling compared to the hyper-stimulating daytime environment. Psychologically, it creates a liminal space between activity and rest, where people feel less rushed, and more present. When done responsibly, night tourism can function as a form of sensory therapy, supporting emotional regulation, creativity, and mental recovery.

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