Jammu Kashmir Tourism Logs Over 1.58 Crore Visitors In 2025 Despite Security Setbacks | Kashmir Life

SRINAGAR: 2025 has been a mixed year for Jammu and Kashmir’s tourism sector, with overall footfall remaining high, backed by strong domestic and foreign numbers, despite security-related disruptions and seasonal fluctuations.

As per details, tourist arrivals to Jammu and Kashmir crossed the 1.58 crore mark, driven by robust pilgrimage, leisure and adventure travel. Officials acknowledged that footfall remained “very strong”, though marginally lower than the all-time high of around 2.36 crore tourist visits reported in 2024, which included about 65,000 foreign tourists.

Union Tourism Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat told Parliament earlier this year that the Union Territory recorded 2.35 crore domestic tourists and 65,452 foreign tourists in 2024, while during January–June 2025, Jammu and Kashmir received 95.9 lakh domestic tourists and 19,570 foreign tourists, pointing to an early-season slowdown compared to the previous year.

As per details, the Kashmir region welcomed over 10.47 lakh domestic and 21,361 foreign tourists during 2025, with about 10.68 lakh total visitors recorded across the year, reflecting a stable but not record-breaking season.

Month-wise data shows that the Valley hosted around 1.48 lakh domestic and 3,385 foreign tourists in January, 1.43 lakh domestic and 4,116 foreign tourists in February, and 1.74 lakh domestic and 2,006 foreign tourists in March. April registered about 1.75 lakh domestic and 4,145 foreign arrivals, before numbers fluctuated in subsequent months following security incidents and travel advisories.

May saw a sharp decline, with 18,246 domestic tourists and 607 international visitors. June recorded 57,458 domestic tourists and 844 foreign arrivals. July saw 98,424 domestic tourists and 1,172 foreign visitors. August recorded 62,430 domestic tourists and 1,399 international arrivals.

September saw 31,878 domestic tourists and 1,302 foreign visitors. October recorded 58,853 domestic tourists and 1,017 international arrivals. November saw 55,904 domestic tourists and 849 foreign visitors. December, till the 15th, recorded 22,829 domestic tourists and 519 international visitors.

In the Jammu region, data show that more than 1.47 crore tourists visited in 2025, including roughly 12,000 international visitors, with the bulk of the footfall driven by pilgrimages to Shri Mata Vaishno Devi, Shiv Khori and other religious destinations.

A total of 14,732,552 tourists, including 12,889 foreigners, visited the Jammu region up to December 26, 2025, the data revealed. Around 6,368,233 tourists visited the holy cave shrine of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi, it states.

Religious circuits such as the Amarnath Yatra and Vaishno Devi continue to anchor J&K’s tourism economy, with planners noting that pilgrim inflows, coupled with leisure and adventure tourism in destinations like Gulmarg, Sonamarg and Pahalgam, remain critical to sustaining overall numbers and allied sectors such as transport, hospitality and handicrafts.

Officials acknowledged that while the first quarter of 2025 showed strong tourist momentum, security-related incidents, including an attack in Pahalgam, triggered cancellations and a slowdown in bookings, leading to a decline compared to last year’s record inflow. Even so, the Union Territory still clocked over 95.9 lakh domestic visits and nearly 20,000 foreign visits in the first half of the year.

The government has, however, projected confidence in the sector’s resilience, highlighting continued infrastructure expansion, promotion campaigns and niche offerings in adventure, eco and rural tourism. Stakeholders have urged sustained security measures, stable travel advisories and targeted support for small tourism operators affected by mid-season shocks.

It is noteworthy that Jammu and Kashmir registered over 2.36 crore visitors in 2024, including 2,30,12,707 domestic visitors and 65,452 foreign tourist visits, taking the total footfall to 2,30,78,159.

Following the April 22, 2025, terror attack in Pahalgam’s Baisaran Valley that killed 26 civilians, mostly tourists, authorities ordered the closure of 48 out of 87 tourist destinations across the Valley on April 29, citing heightened security threats from sleeper cells and potential copycat strikes.

Vulnerable spots, including trekking routes, meadows and offbeat areas such as Drang, Doodhpathri, Aru Valley, higher reaches of Gulmarg, Yanner Rafting Point, Akkad Park and Padshahi Park, were shut indefinitely, with gates locked and access restricted by checkpoints.

However, major hubs like Gulmarg, Sonamarg, Dal Lake and Pahalgam town remained open, while phased reopenings began in June. Between seven and 12 spots, including Bijbehara Garden and Dagan Top, were reopened by September for festivals, though Baisaran remained closed.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah repeatedly advocated aggressive tourism promotion following the April 2025 Pahalgam terror attack.

He also held a Cabinet meeting in Pahalgam on May 26, 2025—the first since the attack—calling tourism a “conflict-neutral” lifeline for thousands of families and praising local resilience against fear. On July 9 in Kolkata, he noted tourism was “bouncing back”, with the Amarnath Yatra underway, increased flights and safety measures in place, assuring people to “listen to those who returned from Pahalgam recently”.

Notably, the 17th Annual Adventure Tour Operators Association of India (ATOAI) Convention, led by President Ajeet Bajaj, was held in Srinagar from December 17 to 20, 2025, marking a major push for Kashmir’s adventure tourism revival post the Pahalgam attack.

ATOAI President Ajeet Bajaj positioned Kashmir as India’s “adventure capital”, urging partnerships with local operators and the Ministry of Tourism to accelerate revival through safety protocols, trained guides and sustainable trails, including proposed Himalayan routes. (KNO)