Ladakh tourist arrivals cross 3.3 Lakh by July, near 2025 full-year tally

Ladakh recorded over 3.3 lakh tourist arrivals from January to July 2026, reaching nearly 98 per cent of its full-year 2025 tally. June and July each crossed one lakh visitors, with officials attributing the surge to improved connectivity, infrastructure and tourism initiatives

Leh: Ladakh’s tourism sector continues to witness a strong upward trajectory, with tourist arrivals crossing the 1-lakh mark for two successive months in June and July, an official said on Saturday. The Union territory recorded 3,30,332 tourist arrivals from January to July this year, already reaching 98.35 per cent of the total 3,35,872 tourists recorded during the entire calendar year in 2025, a Lok Bhavan spokesman said.

The official said the surge was particularly noticeable in June and July, when more than 2.12 lakh tourists visited Ladakh, accounting for nearly 65 per cent of the total 3.30 lakh tourist arrivals recorded so far this year.

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Ladakh received 1,05,046 tourists in July, compared to 67,273 in the same month in 2025, registering a growth of 56.15 per cent. The July arrivals comprised 95,416 domestic and 9,630 foreign tourists, he said.

June also witnessed a significant increase, with 1,07,740 tourists visiting Ladakh compared to 75,089 in June 2025, a growth of 43.48 per cent. The June 2026 arrivals comprised 1,01,060 domestic and 6,680 foreign tourists, the official said.

The trend reflects the growing popularity of Ladakh as a destination for adventure, nature, spiritual and high-altitude tourism, he added. Reacting to the increasing tourist footfall, Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena attributed it to the sustained infrastructure development in Ladakh as well as the appeal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to citizens to promote domestic tourism.

“The fact that Ladakh has crossed the 1-lakh mark in tourist arrivals for two successive months and has already achieved more than 98 per cent of the entire 2025 footfall by the end of July is a very encouraging milestone. Modi’s appeal to our citizens to explore the beauty and diversity of our own country has given a further impetus to domestic tourism.

“Ladakh is among the safest places for tourists, and we welcome visitors from across India and abroad. Our priority is to ensure that this growth translates into sustainable livelihood opportunities for our people while protecting Ladakh’s fragile ecology, rich culture and heritage,” Saxena said. He said the surge in tourist arrivals in June and July was also supported by a vibrant calendar of cultural, spiritual and experiential events organised across Ladakh.

The major attractions during the period included the Hemis Festival, Pratham Sindhu Kumbh, Ladakh Astro Week 2026 (held in the last week of May), Phyang Tsedup and several other local monastic festivals, which brought together visitors interested in Ladakh’s rich Buddhist heritage, culture, spirituality and unique high-altitude experiences, the official said. He said the composition of tourist arrivals till July also highlighted the expanding accessibility of Ladakh through its expanding and improved air and road connectivity.

Of the 3,30,332 tourists who visited Ladakh during January-July 2026, 1,57,371 (47.64 per cent) arrived by air, while 1,16,523 (35.27 per cent) entered through the Kashmir route and 56,438 (17.09 per cent) through the Manali route, the official said.

He said the growth in tourism assumes greater significance and coincides with the rapid transformation in Ladakh’s connectivity infrastructure since the formation of the Union territory in 2019. The total road network has increased from 1,799 km in 2019 to more than 4,200 km in 2026, while the number of bridges has increased from 19 to 72, the official said.

He said the period of seasonal disruptions on the key routes has also reduced substantially. Zoji La, the gateway to Ladakh from Kashmir, which earlier remained closed for around 127 days annually, now remains closed for only 16 days, the official said. Similarly, the annual closure of the Kargil-Zanskar road has declined from 154 days to 11 days, significantly improving near year-round connectivity for tourists, he said.

The number of homestays has also increased from 128 in 2019 to 2,275 in 2026, creating new livelihood opportunities for local households, he said. The tourism surge has also been supported by a series of reforms in the tourism sector, creating tourist-friendly infrastructure and amenities under the guidance of the lieutenant governor, the official said.

He said initiatives such as tourism sector reforms to reduce compliance burden, simplification of cumbersome documentation, and granting of industry status to hotels and guest houses have strengthened confidence among the tourism stakeholders, including hoteliers, guest house owners and tour operators.