Jammu's enchanting appeal draws 1.49 crore tourists till October

Srinagar, Dec 25: In a positive development, the Jammu division has emerged as an attractive tourist destination, attracting a staggering 1.49 crore visitors until mid-October 2023.

As per the official figures, a significant chunk of this influx, totaling 79.12 lakh, consisted of pilgrimage tourists who visited the revered Shri Mata Vaishno Devi shrine during the same period.

The official figures were obtained from the Directorate of Tourism Jammu by MM Shuja through a Right to Information (RTI) application.

The official document has revealed that the Directorate of Tourism Jammu has undertaken substantial initiatives to enhance the region's appeal as a total of 14 major tourism projects have been executed at offbeat tourist destinations to diversify the offerings and entice more visitors to explore the rich cultural and natural heritage of Jammu division.

The official documents indicate that the Directorate is actively engaged in identifying pilgrimage tourist circuits, with funds amounting to Rs 380 lakhs already utilized for the execution of various projects.

"This approach is aimed at to amplify footfall and foster sustainable growth in the tourism sector of Jammu Division," an official said.

As per the official document, the J&K government has sanctioned a whopping amount for expanding the horizons of tourism in the Jammu division.

As per the official documents, the directorate of Tourism Jammu is in the process of identifying pilgrimage tourist circuits and funds worth Rs 380 lakhs have been utilised for execution of various projects to increase the footfall in the Jammu division.

"The funds worth Rs 58 crores as part of the capital expenditure (capex) budget besides other funds sanctioned under Amarnath project have been utilised by the Tourism Department Jammu during the fiscal year 2023-24," the official document reads.

An official said the government was not merely focusing on established tourist destinations but is also keenly exploring offbeat locations.

"Our focus is to explore all the unexplored tourist destinations so that the horizons of tourism do not remain confined to some particular destinations," affirmed the official.