Srinagar, Mar 10: Ladakh has witnessed a sharp decline in tourist arrivals in 2025, with official figures showing a significant drop in both domestic and foreign visitors to Leh and Kargil districts.
Union Minister of Tourism Gajendra Singh Shekhawat shared the information in Parliament in response to a question from Ladakh Member of Parliament Muhammad Haneefa on tourism trends in the Union Territory.
According to data from the Ministry of Tourism, domestic tourist arrivals fell significantly in both Leh and Kargil in 2025 compared to the previous year.
The number of domestic tourists visiting Leh declined from 2,92,836 in 2024 to 2,12,799 in 2025, marking a decrease of 27.3 percent. Kargil witnessed an even sharper fall, with tourist numbers dropping from 3,20,432 in 2024 to 93,389 in 2025, reflecting a steep decline of 70.9 percent.
Foreign tourist arrivals also registered a decrease during the same period. In Leh, foreign tourist visits fell from 34,915 in 2024 to 29,049 in 2025, showing a decline of 16.80 percent. Similarly, Kargil recorded a drop from 4,215 foreign tourists in 2024 to 3,072 in 2025, representing a decrease of 27.12 percent.
The Union Minister informed that the Union Territory administration has taken steps to support sectors affected by disturbances and declining tourist activity.
As per the Ladakh administration, the Finance Department issued a notification on September 19, 2025, enabling banks in the Union Territory to extend relief measures under the Reserve Bank of India’s guidelines for areas affected by natural calamities.
Following the notification, a committee comprising three major banks operating in Ladakh—State Bank of India, Punjab National Bank and J&K Bank—finalised a rehabilitation plan for borrowers affected by disturbances following the Pahalgam incident, including those from the tourism sector.
The rehabilitation package allows restructuring of borrower accounts and includes several relief measures. These include extension of repayment periods for existing term loans with or without a moratorium period, conversion of interest accrued during the moratorium into Funded Interest Term Loans, and sanctioning of additional credit facilities in the form of working capital term loans of up to 15 percent of the existing fund-based working capital limits.
The Union government has also launched initiatives aimed at strengthening tourism-related livelihoods in tribal regions. Under the Pradhan Mantri Janjatiya Unnat Gram Abhiyan, the development of 1,000 homestays across tribal areas has been proposed to improve the socio-economic condition of tribal communities.
Under the scheme, states and Union Territories, including Ladakh, can avail financial assistance of up to Rs 5 crore for establishing 5 to 10 homestays per village in clusters of five to six villages, subject to eligibility guidelines issued on July 1, 2025.
Additionally, the Government of India announced in the Union Budget 2025–26, collateral-free institutional credit through Mudra loans to encourage the establishment of homestay facilities across the country.
Officials said the initiatives are aimed at reviving tourism-linked livelihoods and supporting local communities dependent on the sector in Ladakh.
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