Nearly 13 crore tourists visited Kashmir from 2016 to 2025

Ovaise Gul
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07 May 2026

Post-pandemic growth drives sector revival

Srinagar, May 06: Jammu and Kashmir's tourism sector has witnessed a remarkable boom in the last five years (2021–2025), with tourist footfall surging nearly threefold compared to the previous half-decade from 2016 to 2020, according to statistics accessed by Rising Kashmir.

A total of 12.93 crore (12,93,92,460) tourists, including both domestic and foreign visitors, visited Jammu and Kashmir from 2016 to 2025.

According to figures released by the tourism department, the region witnessed a total footfall of 3.74 crore (3,74,66,429) in the five years from 2016 to 2020, including 12.99 lakh tourists in 2016, 23.8 lakh in 2017, 1.60 crore in 2018, 1.62 crore in 2019, and 25.2 lakh in 2020.

Tourist arrivals gained significant pace in the next half-decade, with the region recording a total footfall of 9.19 crore (9,19,26,031) from 2021 to 2025.

In 2024 alone, a record-breaking 2.35 crore tourists visited the region—the highest single-year footfall. In 2025, the incumbent government informed the Legislative Assembly that 1,77,65,390 tourists visited the Union Territory between January 1 and December 31, including 1,72,89,980 domestic tourists and 36,410 foreign visitors.

The data was provided by the tourism department (for 2016–2017), the Ministry of Tourism (for 2018–2021), and the Jammu and Kashmir government (for 2025). The figures underscore a robust post-pandemic recovery and sustained growth trajectory for J&K's tourism sector.

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Year-wise break-up

2021: 1.13 cr tourists

2022: 1.85 cr tourists

2023: 2.07 cr tourists

2024: 2.35 cr tourists (record-breaking)

2025: 1.77 cr tourists