Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday said there has been a significant surge in tourist arrivals across Kashmir’s premier destinations following recent snowfall, marking a gradual revival for the Kashmir's vital tourism industry.

Reflecting on a challenging previous year, the CM said, “2025 was difficult for us. Just as tourism was beginning to recover, the Delhi bomb blast proved to be another setback, following the deadliest Pahalgam terror attack earlier in the year”.
He said since the snowfall began, tourism in Kashmir has increased.
Indicating a shift in strategy, Omar said "We will not release the tourism data this time. But we will continue to promote tourism; the numbers and our success ratio will remain with us."
"Our main tourism markets are Gujarat, Maharashtra, and West Bengal. We are trying our best to revive traffic from these states. I cannot declare we have fully succeeded, but it feels like tourism has gradually revived since the snowfall started,” he said.
A senior Tourism Department official said winter tourism has seen a remarkable revival.
“Gulmarg continues to be the winter games capital of the country, with hotel occupancy almost touching 100 percent,” the official said.
According to official figures, Kashmir received over 10.47 lakh domestic tourists and 21,361 foreign tourists in 2025, bringing the total footfall to approximately 10.68 lakh visitors.