Srinagar, Jul 21 (KNO): The Centre on Monday informed the Lok Sabha that a total of 7.65 crore domestic visitors and 1.47 lakh foreigners have visited Jammu and Kashmir in the five years till 2024.
According to details obtained by the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), a total of 76,685,482 tourists have visited Jammu and Kashmir from 2020 to 2024. The data reveals that 147,741 among them are foreign tourists and 76,537,741 domestic visitors.
Replying to a question, the Minister for Tourism, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, said that in 2020, a total of 25,19,524 domestic visitors and 5,317 foreign tourists visited J&K, while in 2021, a total of 1,13,14,920 domestic and 1,650 foreign tourists visited the region.
According to the data, an annual growth of 349.09 per cent was recorded in domestic tourist arrivals in 2021 "1,84,99,332 domestic visitors and 19,985 foreigners visited J&K in 2022, while in 2023, the total footfall of domestic visitors was recorded at 2,06,79,336 and foreign arrivals at 55,337," it added.
In 2024, a total of 2,35,24,629 domestic visitors and 65,452 foreigners visited Jammu and Kashmir.
The reply, a copy of which lies with KNO, reads that the Ministry of Tourism, under the Swadesh Darshan Scheme, sanctioned a total of six (6) projects in the year 2016-17 for the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, with a total sanctioned cost of Rs 519.58 crore.
All these projects have since been physically completed, it reads. The projects include Development of Jammu-Srinagar-Pahalgam-Bhagwati Nagar-Anantnag-Salamabad Uri-Kargil-Leh, Development of Tourist Facilities at Jammu-Rajouri-Shopian-Pulwama, Development of Tourist Facilities - Construction of Assets in lieu of those Destroyed in Floods in 2014 under PM Development Package, Development of Tourist Facilities at Mantalai and Sudhmahadev, Development of Tourist Facilities at Anantnag-Pulwama-Kishtwar-Pahalgam-Zanskar Padum-Daksum-Ranjit Sagar Dam and Development of Tourist Facilities at Gulmarg-Baramulla- Kupwara-Kargil-Leh.
However, Shekhawat said the Ministry has not undertaken any formal study to date to assess the extent of direct and indirect employment generated in the region under the scheme during the last five years—(KNO)