SRINAGAR: Tourist arrivals in Ladakh’s key destinations of Leh and Kargil declined significantly in 2025, with Kargil witnessing a fall of over 70 per cent in domestic visitors, the Centre informed the Lok Sabha on Monday.
Responding to an unstarred question by MP Mohmad Haneefa, Union Tourism Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said the government was aware of the challenges faced by tourism stakeholders in the Union Territory following disruptions caused by security concerns and natural factors.
According to data shared by the Ministry of Tourism, domestic tourist arrivals in Leh declined from 2,92,836 in 2024 to 2,12,799 in 2025, registering a 27.3 per cent drop. In Kargil, domestic arrivals fell from 3,20,432 in 2024 to 93,389 in 2025, marking a 70.9 per cent decline.
Foreign tourist arrivals also declined during the period. Leh recorded a fall from 34,915 visitors in 2024 to 29,049 in 2025, a 16.8 per cent decrease, while Kargil saw arrivals drop from 4,215 to 3,072, a 27.12 per cent decline.
The minister said that the Finance Department of the Ladakh Union Territory Administration issued a notification on September 19, 2025 enabling banks in the region to extend relief under the Reserve Bank of India Directions on Relief Measures by Banks in Areas Affected by Natural Calamities.
Following the notification, a committee comprising the State Bank of India, Punjab National Bank and Jammu Kashmir Bank prepared a rehabilitation package for borrowers affected by disturbances, including those linked to the tourism sector.
The package allows restructuring of borrower accounts, including extension of loan repayment periods with or without a moratorium, conversion of interest accrued during the moratorium into Funded Interest Term Loans (FITL), and provision of additional working capital term loans of up to 15 per cent of existing limits.
The minister also said the government has approved the Pradhan Mantri Janjatiya Unnat Gram Abhiyan to improve the socio-economic conditions of tribal communities, under which development of 1,000 homestays has been proposed across the country.
Under the scheme, states and union territories, including Ladakh, can receive assistance of up to Rs 5 crore to develop 5–10 homestays per village within clusters of villages, subject to eligibility under guidelines issued in July 2025.
In addition, the Centre has announced collateral-free institutional credit through MUDRA loans for homestays in the Union Budget 2025–26 to encourage tourism-related accommodation infrastructure across the country.
