Kashmir sees 700% increase in foreign tourist arrivals

There has been more than a 700 per cent increase in foreign tourist arrival in Kashmir this year compared to 2022 with travel agents doling out new services to lure more high end-visitors.

Against 4028 foreign guests in 2022, in the first eight months of this year 30647 arrivals have been recorded, an official of the Tourism department said. Most of the foreign tourists who visited Kashmir this year were from Europe, Thailand, Malaysia and the Middle East.

“Apart from the domestic travel fairs, we are going to participate in international travel trade marts to promote Kashmir tourism. Moreover, 75 new offbeat destinations are also coming up primarily to attract foreign tourists,” he said.

President Travel Agents Association of Kashmir (TAAK) Farooq Ahmad Kuthoo said post G20 summit, a strong message went to foreign countries that Kashmir is safe for tourists.

“Right now, travel agents are also individually in touch with foreign associations to promote Kashmir. We have also floated packages, which include various services of adventure and offbeat trips to lure foreign tourists,” he said.  From trekking to greater lakes to heritage tours, travel agents have framed special packages for foreign tourists.

The Third Tourism Working Group (TWG) G20 meeting, held from May 22-24, was one of the biggest international events organized in Jammu & Kashmir after the abrogation of erstwhile state’s special status under Article 370 in August 2019.

At the 3rd G20 TWG meeting, the Ministry of Tourism and the J&K administration pushed for the revival of not only tourism but also film-making in the Valley.

Kashmir was one of the favourite destinations of foreign tourists in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. With the start of the insurgency, the numbers fell drastically. And now with peace returning to the Valley, the foreign tourists are yet again flocking to the ‘Paradise on Earth.’