TOURISM BOOMING
The figure coming out with regard to tourist influx in the UT of J&K this year is the clear indication that the region is fast moving towards normalcy and the days like that of 1960s, ‘70s and ‘80s, when the Valley used to hustle-bustle with tourist footfall during all seasons of the year, are likely to come back sooner than later. The information which is coming out about the good number of tourists visiting J&K this year, the exact number being an estimated 1.06 crore between the start of January to July 3 is really inspiring because for many years in the past the number of visitors for tourism purposes never saw such a surge. The information in this regard has been shared by none other than Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai in response to a question in the Rajya Sabha removing any doubt about the facts and figures. The Minister has said that during the current calendar year i.e. from January 2022 till July 3, 2022, the tourist footfall in UT of Jammu and Kashmir increased significantly and estimated to be around 1,06,24,000. What else the people of J&K want as tourism is the mainstay of the economy and the same is booming like never before. This situation has made it clear that the abrogation of Article 370 has changed the scenario totally and in the coming time a lot more changes will occur as far as boosting the tourism sector is concerned. Even the small changes and a positive perspective can bring about revolution as one can gauge by the simple instance of a selfie-point constructed in Jammu. One can find hundreds of people clicking selfies during Yatra season and sharing the same on social media. This initiative by the government has been so very economical that merely some thousand rupees must have been invested on the project but the outcome is colossal as this place is working as a publicity point with no extra effort. The successive governments never paid heed to such things and that was the reason the tourists used to visit specific places in the region. The good news is that the government has identified 75 offbeat destinations for tourism across Jammu and Kashmir, which will add more colours. All said and done, one can expect more in the coming time as the government is afoot to do everything to ensure prosperity and peace in J&K.