Tourism is one of the Kashmir’s major industries. It has played an important role for developing the economy, particularly in the region of the Valley. The industry has given jobs to a very large number of people, particularly of the younger generation and generated economic activities in the primary, secondary and tertiary sectors in the State, which owes dependence to a large extent to this industry. Kashmir is full of colourful rocky mountains, valleys, trekking trail, several high rising chortens, snowy mountains, medows of flowers, lakes, garden and orchards, monuments and mandirs and forts and palaces.

Some of the key attributes of the tourism industry in J&K are as follows :

• • Virgin Areas
  • Different Geographical Locations
  • Climate
  • Landscape
  • Architecture
  • Pilgrimage
  • Culture
  • Handicrafts
  • Hospitality
  • Historical Heritage

Rise of Domestic Tourism in J&K
           In spite of the fact that during the period of 1948 and 1950, Kashmir was in newspapers, this area did not interest the people of other part of the Sub-continent to visit. That is not until Shakti Samant released his film ‘Kashmir Ki Kali’ in 1956, which overnight brought the knowledge of the beautiful landscape and territory to the knowledge of the urban population of India, and the rush was on. In 1988 the Valley had been visited by a record number of over 722,000 lakhs tourists and if the percentage of annual rate had continued uninterrupted, the year of 2002 should have seen the Valley is being visited by 1.87 million people from other parts of the country. But because of uncertain law and order situation affecting the state, this ever increasing tourist traffic dramatically fell to an unbelievingly low of 6600 tourists visiting the valley in the year 1993. It is between these two statistical extremes, an effort has been made to work out a way through to develop a new plan of revival of tourism for the State & contemplate a scenario for the next 20 years.

ANALYSIS FOR TOURISM IN J&K

STRENGTHS

• • Rich Culture, Heritage
  • Three distinct Regions with diversity
  • Ladakh, Jammu, Kashmir
  • Flora, fauna, lakes, mountains, pilgrimage places
  • springs, palaces, monuments, horticulture
  • handicrafts, shawls
  • Kashmir The Heaven, Switzerland of India/ Asia
  • Kashmiris are hospitable, hospitality in their nerves
  • Various kinds of tourism available to be exploited
  • Local People experienced due to past tourism booms
  • High Awareness of J&K as Tourist Paradise

WEAKNESSES

• • No tourism Policy
  • Undeveloped Destinations
  • No proper/ Poor connectivity
  • Low awareness level
  • Low/ Poor promotional activities
  • Less Government Spending
  • Economy dependent on Tourism
  • Poor Coordination between departments
  • Stress only on few developed sites
  • Low time spending
  • No diversion of tourists from specific tourism to other type of tourism.
  • Less tourists diversion to new places
  • No Tourism research
  • No capacity building of stakeholders for better services
  • Lackadaisical Approach of Government Complacency and non customer friendly.
  • No culture of Perspective Planning in State Department
  • No Accountability in Financial Matters & Services Lack of Training Infrastructure & Hospitality Industry

OPPORTUNITIES

• • Can cater to almost all Tourist Tastes
  • High Returns from Tourism Industry
  • Development of Circuits
  • Unexploited Places
  • Pilgrimage Circuits
  • Package Tours
  • Higher spending of people on recreation, entertainment
  • Professional approach
  • Governments role as Care taker and facilitator
  • Customer oriented and friendly

THREATS

• • Security
  • Competition
  • Diversion of tourists to other safer places
  • Better facilities from competitors
  • Low information dissemination, access and training
  • Non awakening of Government, complacency
  • Non treatment of tourism as service industry

Economic Benefits
         Tourism industry has played an important role in the development of the economy of the UT as a whole. The economic activities are generated in the primary, secondary and tertiary sector of the valley. Hence tourism generated employment may be classified in to three major heads one is direct employment that sell goods and services directly e.g. hotels, restaurants, shops etc. Second one is indirect employment, which generally supplies goods, services to the tourism business and thirdly investment related employment in construction and other capital goods industries.