[ad_1]
The COVID-19 pandemic together with the shutdown following abrogation of Article 370 in August final 12 months has dealt a extreme blow to tourism within the youngest Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir, and Ladakh.
The variety of vacationers to Jammu and Kashmir stood at about 25.04 lakh (practically 25 lakh home vacationers and 5,056 international vacationers), and to Ladakh at 6,079 (5,019 home vacationers and 1,060 international vacationers), this 12 months until June 2020, based on Ministry of Tourism information shared in reply to an RTI question by Kochi-based activist {K}. Govindan Nampoothiry.
As per the provisional information shared, 1.62 crore guests got here to Jammu and Kashmir and greater than 2.79 lakh vacationers to Ladakh within the full 12 months 2019. Of these, about 1.61 crore have been home vacationers and 57,920 individuals have been international vacationers. The variety of guests to Jammu and Kashmir can be decrease in comparison with 2018, when the vacationer numbers stood at over 1.72 crore, together with 1.70 crore home vacationers and over 1.39 lakh international guests.
Border standoff
“The administration of Jammu & Kashmir should now take steps to unlock breathtaking tourist destinations to the public, promote them in domestic as well as in foreign arenas and brand J&K tourism,” Mr. Nampoothiry mentioned, including that the steep decline within the variety of vacationers to the Ladakh area was a key concern. “Tense situations on the LAC (Line of Actual Control) on regular intervals might be the primary reason for this plunge apart from COVID-19.” he added.
Pronab Sarkar, president of the Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO), which represents greater than 1,700 tour operators for inbound vacationers, informed The Hindu that the variety of vacationers to J&{K} and Ladakh had fallen significantly after the shutdown following the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019, bringing tourism just about to a standstill.
“Post that, in winter there was some tourism inflow but it was low…because of the severe cold, and then the pandemic hit. Since the end of March 2020, no tourism is happening… So, these figures are quite surprising, and seem to have included Vaishno Devi pilgrimage tourist inflow, which is growing every year,” he mentioned.
Mr. Sarkar added that going ahead, the tour operators are hoping that there can be a gradual revival and the federal government would facilitate motion of vacationers no less than inside the nation. “This will definitely revive the lost jobs and help improve the overall economy,” he added.
[ad_2]
