New Delhi, Oct 16: An unprecedented 10.73 lakh tourists have visited Kashmir till October this year. This is believed to be the
highest number of tourist arrivals in the past 25 years.The valley has surpassed last year's tourist count of 7.38 lakh, and the state tourism department's tally shows both Indians and foreigners have given Kashmir a thumbs up despite fears about security.From a few thousand foreigners visiting Kashmir, the figure jumped to 22,000. Ladakh and Amarnath have benefited as well. At 1.48 lakh tourists, Ladakh's footfall doubled this year. The number of Amarnath yatris is at a high of 6.35 lakh - a jump of 2 lakh from last year.Director tourism Farooq A Shah said, "This is the highest number of tourist arrivals recorded in the last 25 years. It has been a very good season for us. But Kashmir's potential is unparalleled and we hope to do more work."Hotel and Restaurant Association of Katra's senior vice president Rakesh Wazir endorsed the tourist season's success. He said he expected the number of pilgrims arriving at Mata Vaishno Devi shrine to increase further from the current 75 lakh estimated by the tourism department."There has been a lot of improvement in infrastructure and with the (new) rail link we are sure to cross the 1 crore mark by 2012," he said.The state government is advocating against travel advisories issued by some countries, pointing to the vote of confidence tourists have delivered.
The Union tourism ministry had in recent years launched an advertisement campaign, with J&K as a special focus. State officials and political representatives have also made their presence felt in the international market through trade fairs and other initiatives.
