40 million tourists visited J&K in 2 years: CM

SRINAGAR: More than 40 million tourists visited Jammu and Kashmir in the past two years, J&K CM Omar Abdullah said Tuesday, calling the record footfall “unprecedented” in a place with a population of only around 13 million.

Foreign tourist arrivals saw a sharp rise in the period, Omar said. “In 2021-22, nearly 19,000 foreigners visited Kashmir and 38 visited Jammu. In 2022-23, Kashmir recorded 30,000 foreign tourist arrivals while Jammu saw 17,000,” he added.

The CM said J&K had emerged as one of the prime film-shooting destinations in the country. “Many blockbuster movies, such as Leo and Dunki, along with several TV serials, have been shot in the Union Territory,” Omar, who also holds the tourism portfolio, stated in a written reply to a question by NC legislator Farooq Ahmad Shah.

Omar said many offbeat locations in J&K had gained prominence on the tourist map, including Suchetgarh, Aithem, Basohli, Pancheri, Nathatop, Gulabgarh, and Ransoo in Jammu Division, and Gurez, Bangus, and Doodhpathri in Kashmir Division. “These destinations experienced an extraordinary influx of tourists due to the meticulously organised promotional events conducted by the tourism department,” he said.

The CM informed the House that the tourism ministry had allocated Rs 50.5 crore in the past two years for tourism-related advertising, of which more than Rs 42 crore had been utilised. He added that the department was taking up several initiatives to promote winter tourism in Sonamarg — on the lines of Gulmarg — to diversify the experience.