Srinagar: An RTI query has revealed that just around 10% of the total tourists visiting Jammu and Kashmir since the revocation of Article 370 in 2019 traveled to the Kashmir Valley, according data provided by the Kashmir tourism department in response to a query by Srinagar-based RTI activist MM Shuja.
This has raised questions about the official narrative of “normalcy” and the accuracy of tourism statistics.
The RTI report published by The Wire mentioned that while the government of India claimed that 9.47 crore tourists visited Jammu and Kashmir between 2019 and 2024, only 92.8 lakh of them, including 1.4 lakh foreigners, actually visited the Valley, according to the data.
Year-wise figures provided by the department show varying tourist numbers: 5.65 lakh (2019), 41,267 (2020), 6.65 lakh (2021), 23.1 lakh (2022), 22.1 lakh (2023), and 29.86 lakh (2024). However, the Centre’s Economic Survey 2024-25 records significantly higher figures for the same period, indicating a discrepancy of over 18 lakh tourists.
A parliamentary standing committee had also noted in March this year that of the total 9.47 crore tourists, approximately 8.5 crore had visited only the Jammu region. This includes over 4.33 crore pilgrims who visited the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine, a number likely to include a large proportion of locals.
The lower share of visitors to Kashmir calls into question the government’s repeated claims that growing tourism numbers reflect restored normalcy in the Valley post-Article 370.
The report quoting RTI activist Shuja alleged that the data-gathering methods used by the tourism department and local authorities are flawed and unreliable.
For instance, tourist numbers at Srinagar airport and on the national highway are recorded manually by tourist police, but the figures include locals, migrant workers, and security personnel—many of whom are not actual tourists.
“The department counts all air arrivals as tourists without distinguishing between local residents, migrant workers, and actual visitors,” Shuja told The Wire. “The same issue applies to passengers arriving via buses and cabs.”
He also pointed to inconsistencies in figures from local development authorities. The Sonamarg Development Authority, for example, claimed nearly 8.9 lakh tourist visits in 2024, despite having only 1,270 rooms in the area. Shuja calculated that even at full year-round occupancy with two persons per room, the number would reach a maximum of about 9.27 lakh—highly unlikely given seasonal closures and disruptions, including a terror attack in the area.
Official records show that Kashmir has a total accommodation capacity of 77,050 tourists at any given time, with Srinagar accounting for the bulk—56,022 beds—followed by Anantnag and Baramulla.
