by Tahira Rafiq
SRINAGAR: After reaching a record high in 2024, tourist arrivals in Jammu and Kashmir declined in 2025, with the Union Territory recording 1.78 crore tourist visits, according to the Economic Survey 2025–26. The fall marked a reversal of the steady growth observed over the previous three years.
The decline in tourism during 2025 was shaped by a sequence of disruptive developments, beginning with the Pahalgam attack, followed by a war-like situation, and later floods, all of which affected travel movement and visitor inflow across the region.
Tourism in Jammu and Kashmir had shown consistent recovery since 2021. Tourist visits increased from 1.13 crore in 2021 to 1.88 crore in 2022, followed by 2.11 crore visits in 2023. The upward trend peaked in 2024, when the Union Territory recorded 2.36 crore tourist visits, the highest figure in recent years.
In 2024, Jammu accounted for 2.00 crore tourist visits, while Kashmir recorded 34.98 lakh visits, bringing the combined total to 2.35 crore. In 2025, tourist visits fell to 1.62 crore in Jammu and 11.16 lakh in Kashmir, reducing the overall figure to 1.77 crore.
The survey’s five-year data shows that while tourism demonstrated resilience and growth potential between 2021 and 2024, visitor numbers remain sensitive to security conditions and environmental disruptions. The downturn in 2025 contrasts sharply with the recovery phase witnessed in the immediate post-pandemic period.
