Tourism Industry in Kashmir Valley: Issues & Challenges Associated with the Process of Concretisation

Abstract

Tourism product is associated with livelihood of both rural and urban population. Tourism is one of the leading sectors in the valley followed by horticulture, providing employment to a huge chunk of population whether skilled or unskilled. Tourism industry is the only sector which is working throughout the year be it summer or winter. The present paper is an attempt to analyse the potential and growth of tourism in the economy of Jammu and Kashmir and examine the issues associated with the concretisation at tourist spots/destinations. During 2015-16, the total number of foreign tourists visited Jammu and Kashmir was recorded to be 58568. Tourism industry is playing a pivotal role in the U.T. economy which is evident from the fact that tourism sector accounts for 5.92 per cent of India’s GDP and 8 per cent to Jammu & Kashmir economy. But, during turmoil period (1990-2000), the U.T. of Jammu and Kashmir in general and Kashmir valley in particular was worst hit, there was unrest in every nook and corner of the valley. The results revealed that though tourism contributes to the employment generation of the U.T. but from the analysis of the data it was astonish recorder that less than 1 % growth was observed during past two decades. The infrastructure was created leaps and bound every nook and corner of the tourist destination, but it has posed serious challenges and threats to the various socio-economic characteristics like employment, living standard, income, environmental degradation and obviously the greenery of the tourist destination. But there are certain issues and challenges associated with the modernisation and concretisation at tourist destinations for sustainable tourism in the region.