Owais Gul
Srinagar, Jul 8: Commissioner Secretary, Tourism, Yasha Mudgal on Tuesday said the tourist footfall is increasing across Kashmir and the region will match last year’s figures of visitor arrivals soon.
Talking to reporters here at SKICC, on the sidelines of the two-day National Secretaries’ Conference, Mudgal, said tourist arrivals are gaining at almost all destinations, with visitors from different parts of the country visiting Jammu and Kashmir’s destinations like Srinagar, Gulmarg, and Pahalgam.
She said that as footfall increases, they are expecting it to match last year’s figures very soon, adding that the tourism sector is bouncing back in Jammu and Kashmir and is once again becoming the preferred and favourite destination for travellers.
Mudgal was responding to a query about the slump in tourism activities following the Pahalgam terror attack. She praised the efforts made by the Lieutenant Governor and government officials for the ongoing revival of the tourism sector.
Regarding the two-day event held at SKICC, the Secretary described it as the biggest event of the year, saying it has set a tone for the season ahead. “In the event, secretaries from all states and Union Territories participated in a brainstorming session, which was held on the directions of the Ministry of Tourism (MoT), in which the Lieutenant Governor himself participated. Such an event indicates that J&K has been a priority destination for the government,” she said.
Notably, the Union Ministry for Tourism organised a two-day Tourism Secretaries’ Conference for all States and Union Territories at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Conference Centre (SKICC), Srinagar, on 7th and 8th July 2025, for the first time in Jammu & Kashmir. The national event brought together Tourism Secretaries and Heads from across the country for high-level deliberations on collaborative policy-making and strategic planning in the tourism sector.
The conference focused on key national policy areas such as tourism-related budget announcements for 2025–26, destination development and infrastructure initiatives, review of sanctioned projects, promotion and marketing strategies, investment opportunities, and film tourism promotion.
A special session dedicated exclusively to Union Territories was held on Tuesday. (KNO)
