A recent article published in The Wire, titled “Discrepancies, Data and the Myth of Kashmir’s Tourism ‘Boost’: An RTI Raises More Questions", appears to cast doubt on the substantial progress made in Kashmir’s tourism sector. While raising certain concerns, the piece seems to offer a limited interpretation of the broader developments underway. By focusing on selective data points and isolated statistics, the article may unintentionally overlook the more comprehensive picture that recent trends and figures reflect.

Contrary to suggestions of stagnation or decline, the tourism landscape in Kashmir has undergone a significant revival through 2024 and into 2025. As per official data released by the Jammu and Kashmir Tourism Department, over 23 million tourists visited the region in 2024 alone—one of the highest figures recorded in recent decades. This resurgence has not been incidental but has followed concerted efforts toward regional stabilization, infrastructural enhancement, and strategic promotion of Kashmir’s cultural and natural allure.

These observations are further substantiated by seven years of sustained ethnographic research in Kashmir, encompassing multiple field sites and socio-economic contexts. As a scholar engaged in long-term fieldwork across various districts of Kashmir, I have closely studied the transformations in the region’s evolving socio-economic landscape. Ethnography, with its emphasis on immersive, ground-level inquiry, provides a crucial lens to understand the shifts that are not always immediately visible through statistical abstraction alone. The lived realities of communities—many of whom are now reintegrating into the tourism value chain—suggest a dynamic and ongoing process of recovery and growth.

Skeptics might claim that these figures are inflated or that the increase in visitors doesn’t translate into genuine economic benefit. But such a claim ignores the visible transformation on the ground. Homestays, guesthouses, and hotels have proliferated across the valley, especially in key tourist hubs like Srinagar, Gulmarg, and Pahalgam. This expansion is not driven by........

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