Religious Tourism: Jammu & Kashmir marks 75 new destinations to attract religious travellers

The government of Jammu & Kashmir has earmarked 75 destinations to attract religious tourists in a bid to boost religious tourism in the region. As per official data, Kashmir witnessed a record number of tourists (over 1 crore) in 2022. The decision was taken after looking at this number.

Syed Abid Rashid Shah, Tourism Secretary of Jammu and Kashmir, said he is hopeful after the Jashn-e-Adab—Cultural Karavaan event. He said, "We are bypassing last year’s tourist influx this year by leaps and bounds."
He further mentioned that tourism in Jammu & Kashmir is flourishing and that it has attributed this remarkable growth to several factors, including the recent G-20 Tourism Working Group meeting that was organised in Srinagar. He called it a "game changer" as it boosted the foreign tourist arrivals in the region and it is a huge achievement for the valley.

Shah also revealed that the government's efforts to promote lesser-known destinations had given them hopeful results. He said that the government has promoted 75 offbeat destinations in the valley to celebrate local culture.
He said, “Additionally, 75 destinations have been earmarked for fostering spiritual experiences, and another 75 to enhance religious tourism within Jammu and Kashmir." He also focused on the government's dedication to spreading the charm of Jammu and Kashmir. There’s an entire team from the Tourism Department which was in Ahmedabad recently for a promotional trip.

Some similar campaigns were held in Cochin and Chennai also and they were a huge success in terms of attracting more tourists. As the valley continues to open more and more offbeat destinations to local and international tourists, the tourism industry in the region looks absolutely promising.