JAMMU, June 7 -- The Himalayan region of Ladakh has witnessed a historic surge in tourist arrivals this year as May recorded a 121.2% growth with a footfall of 72,834 tourists against 32,927 arrivals in May last year, said officials. LG Vinai Kumar Saxena has attributed this surge to sustained efforts to promote Ladakh as a premier tourism destination. Sustained efforts and reforms to enhance tourist-friendly infrastructure and atmosphere in Ladakh, have begun yielding encouraging results. The month of May, which marks the beginning of the peak tourist season, has recorded a massive surge of 121% tourist arrival in Ladakh compared to the corresponding period last year, said an official spokesperson. Similarly, tourist arrivals during the first five months of 2026, i.e. January - May, too, registered a substantial growth of 44% compared to the corresponding period in 2025. Saxena attributed this significant growth to a series of reforms in the tourism sector and creating tourist-friendly infrastructure and amenities. Initiatives like tourism sector reforms to reduce compliance burden, simplifying the cumbersome documentation and granting "industry" status to hotels and guest houses in Ladakh, have developed confidence among tourism stakeholders, including hoteliers, guest house owners, tour operators, etc, he said. Ladakh recorded a footfall of 1,17,546 tourists between January to May 2026, compared to 81,827 tourists during the corresponding period in 2025, registering a year-on-year growth of 43.65%. Compared to the period of January to May in 2024, when 51,520 visitors arrived in Leh, total arrivals in 2026, has marked an impressive 128% growth, said the spokesperson. This encouraging growth is an outcome of the focused vision and continuous efforts of the LG, said the spokesperson. The LG's administration has undertaken sustained initiatives to promote Ladakh across domestic and international markets, strengthen tourism infrastructure, improve connectivity, diversify tourism products and encourage year-round tourism. This has further led to an increase in footfall of foreign tourists in Ladakh by over 15%. Foreign tourist arrivals in the first five months of 2026 stood at 6,961, compared to 6026 from January to May in 2025. Thailand (1,321), Vietnam (722), and the United States (642) have emerged as leading source countries while countries such as Japan, UK, Germany, and France too continue to contribute significantly. "The remarkable increase in tourist arrivals in Ladakh this year, reflects the success of our collective efforts to promote Ladakh as a year-round destination. We have focused on strengthening infrastructure, improving connectivity, promoting winter tourism, adventure tourism, wildlife tourism, Astro tourism, eco-tourism and cultural tourism while ensuring sustainable development. This growth has brought renewed optimism and economic opportunities for tourism stakeholders across Ladakh," Saxena said. LG Vinai Kumar Saxena will leave for Mongolia on Sunday to accompany the sacred relics of two great disciples of Lord Buddha from Ulaanbaatar to New Delhi following a 10-day exposition in the East Asian nation. According to officials, Prime Minister Narendra Modi nominated Saxena to lead the Indian delegation accompanying the holy relics on their return journey to India. The LG will also attend the concluding ceremony of the exposition in Ulaanbaatar on June 10, after which the relics will be flown back to India in a special aircraft, they said....