Tourist arrivals in JK declined since revocation of special status: Govt tells Parliament
NEW DELHI: Tourist arrivals in Jammu and Kashmir has declined since the revocation of the erstwhile state’s special status, Tourism Minister Prahlad Patel informed Parliament on Tuesday.
In a written reply to a query in Rajya Sabha, he said 84,326 tourists visited Kashmir since August 5, 2019 while 87,94,837 visited Jammu and 1,00931 tourists visited Ladakh.
The total number of pilgrims/tourists who visited Jammu since August 2019 is 76,80,775.
On August 5, 2019, the Centre revoked the special status, or limited autonomy, granted under Article 370 of the Constitution to Jammu and Kashmir.
“Since, August, 5, 2019, the number of tourist arrivals in Jammu & Kashmir declined. The impact was felt more severely in Kashmir valley than in the Jammu division. However, the tourist footfall in J&K is gradually increasing since last few months. In respect of handcraft sector, no noticeable job losses in J&K have happened since August 05,2019. The artisans engaged in different handicrafts activities are continuing their job and the government is providing support through different schemes and steps taken by the central government,” Patel said.