“Increased funding is crucial to support effective marketing & tourism development”- Tshering Namgyal
Ladakh’s tourism sector has experienced a notable increase in international visitors, while there has been a decline in domestic tourist arrivals. “Domestic tourist footfalls are on a decline since 2023 while international tourist arrivals is on an upward trend after covid, confirmed Tshering Namgyal, IATO Chapter Chairman of Ladakh.
The projections, as shared, for 2024 indicate that while domestic tourist numbers are not encouraging but inbound traffic is expected to remain strong till September end.
In 2022, Ladakh welcomed nearly 22,000 foreign tourists. By 2023, this number had surged to almost 38,000, with a strong influx of visitors from Europe and the Far East, Namgyal added.
To address this issue and attract more visitors, he mentioned that the Ladakh Tourism Department under the UT Administration participated in tourism fairs including ITB Singapore and WTM London as well as events such as SATTE. Furthermore, The Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) Leh has undertaken significant efforts to promote Ladakh in Vietnam.
Despite these actions, he stressed the need for a more focused and professionally designed marketing strategy. He advocated for a strategic approach that actively engages the local travel trade community to enhance Ladakh’s presence.
Namgyal noted that the current financial year’s state budget for tourism under the capital component is set at INR 20 crores, which is INR 10 crores less than the previous allocation. He expressed concern that any reduction in the Special Development Package (SDP) could further impact promotional activities. He stressed that increased funding is crucial to support effective marketing and overall tourism development and calls for a review of the budget.
Further, the lack of adequate air connectivity adds to woes that in turn keeps the airfare very high and provides to be a major hindrance for the domestic tourists. “Kushok Bahuka Rinpoche civil Terminal at Leh has limited bay facilities and Leh being a defence airport there are number of restrictions for airlines to operate. To boost domestic tourist direct flight between some major cities like Bangalore, Kolkata and Ahmedabad is needed,” Namgyal added.
