Jammu, Jul 21, 2025: Setting a new record, over 3 Crore tourists – the highest ever – visited Jammu and Kashmir in the year 2024, and this number also included 65452 foreign tourist visits.
During the year 2024, the Union Territory received 2,35,24,629 visits from domestic tourists, representing an annual growth rate of 13.76 percent for domestic tourists and 18.28 percent for foreign tourists. This was revealed by the Union Tourism Minister Ganjendra Singh Shekhawat in a written reply to a question of BJP MP Tejasvi Surya in the Lok Sabha on Monday.
Over the past five years, more than 1 lakh foreign tourists and 7 crore domestic tourists visited J&K. J&K's natural beauty was enjoyed by 23,19,524 domestic tourists and 5317 foreign tourists in 2020. This number soared to 1,13,14,290 domestic tourists in 2021, representing the highest annual growth rate ever and 1650 foreign tourists. In terms of foreign tourists, the year saw a 68.97 percent annual decline, suggesting a COVID effect. Interestingly, 2022 saw record-breaking annual growth of 1111.21 percent in foreign tourist traffic with a footfall of 19,985 while in case of domestic front, 1,84,99,332 tourists visited, registering 63.50 per cent annual growth.
With an annual growth rate of 11.78 percent and 176.89 percent, respectively, J&K saw a total of 55,337 foreign tourists and 2,06,79,336 domestic tourists in 2023. Union Tourism Minister also informed that the Ministry of Tourism, under the Swadesh Darshan Scheme, sanctioned a total of six projects in the year 2016-17 for the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, with a total sanctioned cost of Rs 519.58 Cr.
Since then, each of these projects has been completed physically. Jammu-Srinagar-Pahalgam-Bhagwati Nagar-Anantnag-Salamabad-Uri-Kargil-Leh development cost Rs 77.33 crore; Jammu-Rajouri-Shopian-Pulwama development cost Rs 81.60 crore; Mantalai and Sudh Mahadev development cost Rs 91.99 crore; Anantnag-Pulwama-Kishtwar- The ambitious Himalayan circuit includes all of these projects. “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,” Shekhawat stated. Notably, this increase in the number of tourists visiting J&K in the second quarter of 2025 was disrupted by the terrorist attack on April 22 in Pahalgam and the subsequent events.