JAMMU — Jammu and Kashmir has witnessed a sharp surge in tourist arrivals in the post-2019 period, with over 7.85 crore tourists visiting the Union Territory between 2023 and 2025, compared to 4.76 crore visitors during 2016–18, the government informed the Assembly on Friday.
Replying to a written question by NC MLA Javid Hassan Baig, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who holds the tourism portfolio, placed destination-wise footfall data before the House, highlighting a significant revival of tourism across both Kashmir and Jammu regions.
According to official figures, the Kashmir division received 59.56 lakh tourists during 2016–18, which rose sharply to 2.42 crore between 2023 and 2025.
However, arrivals in Kashmir saw a decline in 2025 so far, dropping from 98.19 lakh in 2024 to 47.78 lakh, attributed to the Pahalgam terror attack, subsequent security operations and heavy rainfall.
The Valley recorded 96.3 lakh tourists in 2023 and 98.1 lakh in 2024, compared to around 20 lakh annually during 2016–18.
Among major destinations, Gulmarg attracted 16.2 lakh tourists in 2023 and 13.6 lakh in 2024, while Pahalgam recorded 14.5 lakh visitors in 2023 and 12.6 lakh in 2024. Sonamarg also saw growth, with footfall rising from 5.55 lakh in 2023 to 8.89 lakh in 2024.
Other destinations such as Kokernag 10.47 lakh, Achabal over 7 lakh and Verinag 8.56 lakh registered strong tourist inflows in 2024, while areas including Daksum–Sinthan, Lolab–Bungus–Keran–Teetwal and Gurez also recorded steady growth.
In the Jammu region, tourist arrivals increased from 4.16 crore during 2016–18 to 5.43 crore between 2023 and 2025, driven largely by pilgrimage and religious tourism.
Jammu received180.2 lakh tourists in 2023, rising to 200.9 lakh in 2024, while 162.3 lakh tourists have been recorded so far in 2025. In comparison, footfall stood at 122.8 lakh in 2016, 133.1 lakh in 2017, and 160.4 lakh in 2018.
The Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine continued to dominate arrivals, attracting 95.5 lakh pilgrims in 2024, up from 90.3 lakh in 2023, with 69.3 lakh pilgrims recorded so far in 2025.
Other prominent sites in 2024 included Shiv Khori 144.1 lakh, Ranjit Sagar Dam 116.7 lakh, Mansar 25.7 lakh and Surinsar 19.8 lakh. Pilgrimage centres such as Sukrala Mata, Baba Sidh Goria, Ziarat Shahdra Sharief and Ziarat Sai Miran Sahib also witnessed steady inflows.
Overall, the data reflects a strong rebound in tourism activity across Jammu and Kashmir after 2019, despite temporary setbacks in 2025. — (PTI)