Kashmir tourism soars with decreased terrorist activities; Gulmarg leads in attracting tourists

SRINAGAR: There has been a huge increase in the number of tourists who visited Kashmir last year. 34.89 lakh people visited Kashmir last year. Of these, 43,000 were foreign tourists. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah announced that 34,89,702 people visited Kashmir in the year 2024-2025, of which 5.12 lakh were Amarnath pilgrims. The reason for the increase in the number of tourists is the significant decrease in terrorist attacks.

At the same time, the increase in the number of foreign tourists is noteworthy. While 1614 foreigners visited Kashmir in 2021, this time it has increased to 43,645. In 2021, a total of 6,65,77 people visited Kashmir, five times that number arrived this time. In 2023, 31,55,835 tourists, including 37,678 foreigners, visited Kashmir, compared to 26,73,442 tourists, including 19,947 foreigners, in 2022.

Participation in national and international events and promotion on digital and social media platforms are the main reasons behind the surge in tourism in Kashmir, according to the Economic Survey report. Gulmarg received the highest number of visitors in Kashmir. In 2024, more than 7.68 lakh visitors came here. The third G20 Tourism Working Group Meeting, held in Srinagar in May 2023 also put Kashmir in the spotlight globally.