Union Culture and Tourism Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said on Saturday, 13 June 2026 that the Modi government has connected Jammu and Kashmir's tourism ecosystem to spirituality, arguing that the region's visitor economy was previously confined to specific geographic pockets. The minister made the remarks in a television interview, a clip of which he shared on his official X account.

Context

Posting in Hindi, Shekhawat wrote: 'कश्मीर के टूरिज़्म को मोदी जी की सरकार ने अध्यात्म से भी जोड़ा है' ['The Modi government has also linked Kashmir's tourism to spirituality']. He added that before the current government, tourism in Jammu and Kashmir had been 'limited to specific areas' (क्षेत्र विशेष तक सीमित). The post carried a video of his interview on a Hindi-language news channel.

The remarks place Jammu and Kashmir's tourism development squarely within the broader cultural and spiritual framing that the Ministry of Culture and Tourism has adopted in recent years. Shekhawat, who represents Jodhpur in the Lok Sabha, has been an active spokesperson for the government's tourism agenda since taking charge of the ministry.

Policy Backdrop

The Central government's PRASAD scheme, launched in 2014-15, was designed to develop infrastructure at pilgrimage and spiritual tourism sites across India, and its ambit has extended to sites in Jammu and Kashmir. The integration of spiritual circuits into mainstream tourism planning accelerated after the 2019 reorganisation of the former state into two Union Territories — Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh — which brought tourism policy more directly under Central oversight.

The policy rationale, as articulated by the ministry, is to diversify the visitor base beyond leisure travellers to include religious pilgrims and spiritual seekers, thereby spreading economic activity across a wider geography and a longer season. Destinations such as the Vaishno Devi shrine, the Amarnath cave, and emerging Buddhist circuits in the region are central to this approach.

Stakeholders and Impact

The Jammu and Kashmir tourism industry — comprising hoteliers, tour operators, transporters, and local artisans — stands to gain from any expansion of visitor segments. Spiritual tourists often travel in larger groups, seek longer stays, and visit during off-peak leisure seasons, which could help smooth the demand curve that has historically made the sector volatile.

Religious pilgrims, particularly those undertaking the annual Amarnath Yatra or visiting Vaishno Devi, already represent a substantial share of total arrivals in the Union Territory. Formalising spiritual tourism as a policy category could unlock dedicated infrastructure funding and promotional budgets from the Centre.

What's Next

Attention will now turn to whether the Ministry of Culture and Tourism follows the minister's remarks with concrete announcements — such as new spiritual tourism circuits, enhanced pilgrim facilities, or allocations under centrally sponsored schemes — specifically targeting Jammu and Kashmir. The rollout of any such projects would be a test of whether the government's stated ambition translates into on-ground development for one of India's most strategically significant tourism destinations.