Kashmir sees record 1.62 crore tourist arrivals this year

SRINAGAR — The arrival of tourists in Jammu and Kashmir has broken all old records as more than 1.62 crore tourists have visited different places in the UT since January this year.

A top official told the news agency KNS that this has happened only due to the successful campaigns of the J&K Government to attract maximum tourists towards the region. “The tourists are flocking back to Kashmir in unprecedented numbers, three years after the government revoked the region’s special status,” he said.

He also said that since January 2022, 1.62 crore tourists have visited Jammu and Kashmir, which is the highest in 75 years of Independence. Due to the increased inflow of tourists, the official said that the government gave go-ahead for homestays and tented accommodations at different tourist destinations in the Valley to overcome the shortage of space.

“With combined efforts of government and tourism stakeholders, the industry has finally witnessed some record-breaking arrivals which in turn helped the economy as well as the employment for the youth of Kashmir,” he added.

He further said that the tourism industry is hoping that the numbers will go further up as the winter is around the corner while the government is introducing some new ski resorts in the Valley as well.