Ladakh tourism boom: Over 3.3 lakh tourists visit till July, footfall up 56% year-on-year

Ladakh recorded more than 3.3 lakh tourist arrivals between January and July 2026, with visitor numbers crossing the one-lakh mark in both June and July, according to data released by the Union Territory administration.

A total of 3,30,332 tourists visited Ladakh during the first seven months of the year, already accounting for 98.35 per cent of the 3,35,872 tourists recorded during the whole of 2025.

July sees sharp rise in visitors

Ladakh recorded 1,05,046 tourist arrivals in July, compared with 67,273 during the same month last year, marking a 56.15 per cent increase.

Domestic tourists accounted for 95,416 of the July arrivals, while 9,630 were foreign visitors.

June also saw a significant increase, with 1,07,740 tourists visiting the Union Territory compared with 75,089 in June 2025. This represented a 43.48 per cent rise. The June figure included 1,01,060 domestic and 6,680 foreign tourists.

Together, June and July accounted for more than 2.12 lakh visitors, or nearly 65 per cent of Ladakh's tourist arrivals recorded so far this year.

Air and road routes bring most tourists

The administration attributed the rise in arrivals to several factors, including improved connectivity and events held across the Union Territory.

Of the 3,30,332 tourists who visited Ladakh between January and July, 1,57,371, or 47.64 per cent, arrived by air. Another 1,16,523 tourists, or 35.27 per cent, entered through the Kashmir route, while 56,438, or 17.09 per cent, arrived through the Manali route.

The administration said Ladakh's road network has expanded from 1,799 km in 2019 to more than 4,200 km in 2026. The number of bridges has also increased from 19 to 72.

Festivals add to tourist footfall

The June-July period also featured events such as the Hemis Festival, Pratham Sindhu Kumbh, Phyang Tsedup and other local monastic festivals.

Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena said the rise in arrivals was encouraging but stressed the need to balance tourism growth with the region's environmental and cultural concerns.

“The fact that Ladakh has crossed the one-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.

Prime Minister Narendra 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 and India are 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,” said L-G Saxena.