Jammu & Kashmir Tourist Arrivals Drop in 2025 While Uttarakhand Visits Surge

Jammu and Kashmir tourism decline Uttarakhand tourism surge foreign tourist arrivals domestic tourist visits tourism contribution to GDP

The Union Ministry of Tourism reported that Jammu and Kashmir saw a sharp fall in tourist arrivals in 2025, with domestic visits slipping to 1.77 crore (a 23 % drop from 2024) and foreign visits falling to 36,410 (down 44 %). The ministry said tourism contributes 5.22 % to India’s GDP.

In contrast, Uttarakhand’s tourism sector has expanded dramatically. Foreign tourists have risen almost 17‑fold since 2021 and domestic arrivals have crossed six crore. State officials attributed the growth to the Char Dham circuit, adventure‑tourism schemes and support from the central government.

Both regions have benefited from infrastructure upgrades. Jammu and Kashmir added roughly 5,000 new hotels and guest houses and over 20,000 tourist vehicles in the past six years, while Uttarakhand’s facilities have been expanded to accommodate the rising visitor numbers.

Entities: Char Dham circuit · Jammu & Kashmir · Jammu and Kashmir · Mahendra Bhatt · Ministry of Tourism (India) · Narendra Modi · Union Ministry of Tourism · Uttarakhand

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.

[○ 1 SOURCE] Tourism contributed 5.22 % to India’s GDP according to the Union Ministry of Tourism. (Union Ministry of Tourism)
[● 2 SOURCES] Jammu and Kashmir tourist arrivals rose to 2.36 crore in 2024, up from 2.07 crore in 2023. (Official estimates)
[● 2 SOURCES] Jammu and Kashmir added around 5,000 new hotels and guest houses and over 20,000 tourist vehicles in the past six years. (Lieutenant Governor’s office)
[○ 1 SOURCE] Jammu and Kashmir foreign tourist visits fell 44 % to 36,410 in 2025, down from 65,452 in 2024. (Union Ministry of Tourism)
[● 2 SOURCES] In 2025 Jammu and Kashmir received about 1.78 crore tourists after terror attacks that killed 26 tourists. (Official estimates)
[○ 1 SOURCE] Jammu and Kashmir domestic tourist visits fell 23 % to 1.77 crore in 2025, down from 2.30 crore in 2024. (Union Ministry of Tourism)
[○ 1 SOURCE] Uttarakhand foreign tourist numbers increased nearly 17‑fold since 2021. (State officials)
[○ 1 SOURCE] Uttarakhand domestic tourist arrivals have crossed six crore. (State officials)