Fresh snowfall in Kashmir has triggered a massive surge in winter tourism, with over 12,000 tourists visiting in the first week of January alone. Hotels and houseboats across the valley are fully booked until the end of January, indicating that the region may surpass the tourism figures of 2024. According to government data, approximately 3 million tourists visited Kashmir in 2024, breaking all previous records. Officials are optimistic that 2025 will see an even higher number of tourist arrivals.
The Jammu and Kashmir Tourism Department has declared 2024 as one of the best tourist seasons in the valley’s history. This increase in tourist inflow is attributed to several factors, including the addition of new attractions. Currently, efforts are underway to develop 75 new tourist destinations, 75 heritage and cultural sites, 75 Sufi and religious sites, and 75 adventure treks, all aimed at boosting tourism in the region.
Manzoor Pakhtoon, Chairman of the Houseboat Association, said, “The tourist inflow has been excellent for the past two to three years, and 2024 was a great year for tourism. We are hopeful that the upcoming season will be equally remarkable, especially for winter sports like skiing and the Khelo India event. With the introduction of train services, we are confident that tourist numbers will increase even further. We also had a significant number of visitors from Southeast and East Asian countries, as well as Europe. Many Russian tourists visit for skiing.”
The total number of tourists in 2024 was recorded at approximately 2.95 million, reflecting a significant rise from the 2.71 million visitors in 2023. Foreign tourist arrivals also saw a notable increase, with 43,000 international visitors arriving in the valley. Tourism is the second-largest industry in the Union Territory, contributing around ?8,000 crore to the GDP.
Narayan Kavde, a tourist from Maharashtra, said, “We have been traveling in Kashmir for the past two weeks. We don’t experience such cold weather back home, but here it is incredible. We saw snow and ice, and the nights were very cold. It felt like living a dream; this place truly is paradise. With fresh snowfall in the higher reaches of the valley, even more tourists are expected to arrive.”
Another tourist, Shital Nimbarkar, shared, “We are enjoying our time here so much. We used to see such scenes on notebook covers, and now we’re witnessing them in real life. It’s so beautiful—it was a dream that has finally come true. The snow here is stunning, more beautiful than paradise, and I would encourage everyone to visit this place.”
The government is now focused on creating eco-friendly infrastructure to standardize tourism products and services. Targeted marketing strategies are being employed to unlock the full tourism potential of Jammu and Kashmir.
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