Home Stay Prog successful, being extended to other areas
Bivek Mathur
JAMMU, Feb 7: The Jammu and Kashmir Government today informed the Legislative Assembly that over 1.77 Crore tourists, including both domestic and international visitors, arrived in the Union Territory during the year 2025.
The information was shared by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who also holds the charge of Tourism Minister, while replying to a starred question raised by National Conference MLA Hasnain Masoodi.
Sharing the details, Chief Minister informed the House that from January 1, 2025 to December 31, 2025, as many as 1, 77, 65, 390 tourists were registered in Jammu and Kashmir. This included 36,410 international tourists and 1, 77, 28, 980 domestic tourists.
He added that while the Tourism Department has not fixed any specific targets for international or domestic tourist arrivals for the year 2026, sustained efforts are being made to further enhance the footfall beyond the existing numbers through promotional campaigns and developmental initiatives.
Replying a query on the Home Stay Programme, Omar Abdullah informed the House that the initiative has been largely successful in the region.
He said the programme has contributed to increased accommodation capacity, generation of local employment and enhanced community participation in the tourism sector.
“And in view of the positive impact, the Tourism Department has further proposed to extend the programme to other potential areas of the Union Territory,” he said.
The Chief Minister also outlined the challenges faced in expanding the Home Stay Programme, including lack of awareness, capacity constraints, and infrastructure-related issues.
He said these challenges are being addressed through awareness campaigns, capacity-building initiatives and coordination with the concerned departments to strengthen infrastructure support.
Meanwhile, in reply to another question regarding the resumption of international flights from Sheikh-ul-Alam International Airport, Srinagar to destinations such as Dubai, Jeddah and London, the chief Minister stated that the airport is fully equipped with all requisite infrastructures to handle the international flight operations.
He said facilities related to immigration, customs, security and passenger handling are already in place.
However, the commencement of international flights depends on the operational and commercial decisions of respective airlines, he said.
“The airport remains ready at all times to facilitate international operations whenever airlines decide to start such services,” added the Chief Minister.
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