Tourist footfall in J&K surges post-2019, over 7.85 crore visitors recorded between 2023–25: Govt

JAMMU: The Jammu and Kashmir government said that the Union Territory has witnessed a sharp surge in tourist arrivals in the post-2019 period, with over 7.85 crore tourists visiting between 2023 and 2025, compared to 4.76 crore visitors during 2016–18.

Replying to a question by NC MLA Javid Hassan Baig in written form in the Legislative Assembly, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who heads the tourism department, detailed destination-wise tourist footfall data and comparative figures for the last three years. He also placed the pre-2019 period before the house.

Overall, the official data shows that over 7.85 crore tourists visited Jammu and Kashmir from 2023 to 2025, while over 4.76 crore tourists visited the Union Territory during 2016–18.

According to the data, the Kashmir division received 59.56 lakh tourists during 2016–18, which rose sharply to 2.42 crore tourists between 2023 and 2025, reflecting a significant revival of tourism in the Valley after 2019.

However, the government noted a decline in tourist arrivals in the Kashmir division in 2025, with footfall dropping from 98.19 lakh in 2024 to 47.78 lakh in 2025 so far.

The decrease is seen due to fallout of the Pahalgam terror attack, subsequent Operation Sindoor, and heavy rains during the year.

In the Jammu region, tourist arrivals stood at 4.16 crore during 2016–18, increasing to 5.43 crore between 2023 and 2025, indicating sustained growth driven largely by pilgrimage and religious tourism, it said.

Kashmir alone saw total footfall rising to 98.1 lakh in 2024, compared to around 20 lakh visitors annually during 2016–18, it said.

According to official data placed before the House, the Kashmir division received 96.3 lakh tourists in 2023 and 98.1 lakh in 2024, while 47.7 lakh tourists have been recorded so far in 2025. In contrast, tourist arrivals stood at 20.0 lakh in 2016, 19.3 lakh in 2017, and 20.1 lakh in 2018.

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 witnessed a significant rise, with footfall increasing from 5.55 lakh in 2023 to 8.89 lakh in 2024, it added.

The data shows notable growth in arrivals at several other destinations post-2019. Kokernag received over 10.47 lakh tourists in 2024, Achabal over 7 lakh, and Verinag more than 8.56 lakh visitors during the year. Daksum–Sinthan, Lolab–Bungus–Keran–Teetwal, and Gurez also recorded steady tourist inflows.

As per official data placed before the House, the Jammu division received 180.2 lakh tourists in 2023, which further increased to 200.9 lakh in 2024, while 162.3 lakh tourists have been recorded so far in 2025. In comparison, tourist footfall stood at 122.8 lakh in 2016, 133.1 lakh in 2017, and 160.4 lakh in 2018.

Among major religious destinations, the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi shrine at Katra continued to dominate tourist inflow, attracting 95.5 lakh pilgrims in 2024, up from 90.3 lakh in 2023. The shrine has recorded 69.3 lakh pilgrims so far in 2025. Other prominent destinations also reported significant footfall in 2024, including Shiv Khori with 144.1 lakh visitors, Ranjit Sagar Dam (Thein) with 116.7 lakh, Mansar with 25.7 lakh, and Surinsar with 19.8 lakh. Pilgrimage sites such as Sukrala Mata, Baba Sidh Goria, Ziarat Shahdra Sharief, and Ziarat Sai Miran Sahib also witnessed steady tourist inflows, it added. (PTI)