Ishfaq Gulzar CNI

Jammu and Kashmir has witnessed an unprecedented tourism boom, with over 4.40 crore visitors, including 1.20 lakh foreign nationals, traveling to the region in the past two years, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah informed the Assembly on Tuesday.

Highlighting the tourism sector’s critical role in employment generation, the Chief Minister, who also heads the Tourism Department, said that the government has allocated Rs 35.08 crore for promotion and publicity over the last two financial years. He detailed that Rs 12.54 crore was spent in 2023-24, while Rs 22.54 crore was utilized in 2024-25 to boost the sector.

Responding to a query from National Conference legislator Mubarak Gul, Abdullah provided a detailed breakdown of tourist arrivals. He stated that 2,11,24,674 tourists visited Jammu and Kashmir in 2023, while the figure rose to 2,35,24,629 in 2024. Among them, 55,337 foreign tourists arrived in 2023, and the number increased to 65,452 in 2024.

While acknowledging tourism’s immense potential in job creation, the Chief Minister noted that no formal survey has been conducted to determine the exact number of people employed in the sector. He also informed the House that 59 assets belonging to the Tourism Department had been outsourced over the last two years as part of efforts to enhance infrastructure and services.