The unrest in Jammu and Kashmir continues to take a toll on the state's tourism industry with foreign visitors giving it a miss for another year. In 2016, only 63,207 foreign tourists visited the state as compared to 86,477 in 2014.


The state has been under the grip of violent protests since July last year following the killing of militant commander Burhan Wani. The state was ranked 23rd in the list of India's top 36 tourist destinations this year. According to data compiled by the Market Research Division of the Ministry of Tourism on domestic and foreign tourist visits to states and Union territories, Tamil Nadu retained its position as the top destination for both foreign and domestic visitors.


During 2016, the number of foreign tourist visits to the states and UTs was 24.71 million as compared to 23.33 million in 2015, a growth of 5.92 per cent. The top 10 states in terms of number of foreign tourist visits were Tamil Nadu (4.72 million), Maharashtra (4.67), Uttar Pradesh (3.16), Delhi (2.52), West Bengal (1.53), Rajasthan (1.51), Kerala (1.04), Bihar (1.01), Goa (0.68) and Punjab (0.66). The top 10 states attracted about 87.02 per cent of total foreign visitors in 2016.


Image: Grieving relatives of DSP Mohammed Ayub Pandith, who was lynched last night, at his funeral.