<span style="color: #222222;">In yet another achievement, the home-stay industry is witnessing rapid growth, with 1485 home-stays boasting 13 thousand rooms registered across Jammu and Kashmir. The achievement is in response to an initiative by the UT government to bridge the gap of rooms for tourists, which is now paying dividends as more locals convert their properties into home-stays for hosting visitors. The home-stay initiative was launched by the J&K government to boost tourism and provide accommodation options for visitors. Under this, locals can register their homes to host tourists and offer them an authentic cultural experience. This comes after the tourism sector was granted industry status, leading to enormous growth in investments. Initiatives are also being undertaken to involve local communities in tourism activities and ensure equitable benefit sharing. <br />''<br />''These initiatives have helped the tourism sector in the UT do exceptionally well, with over 1.88 crore tourists visiting in 2022 and 2.11 crore in 2023, marking unprecedented growth. In 2022, J&K Tourism Department introduced a home-stay programme to promote border tourism, which is proving to be very beneficial and provides employment opportunities for unemployed youth. Tourists staying in home-stays across the region feel very comfortable and get to experience the wonderful local culture even at a basic level. By staying in local homes, tourists from different parts of the country get to know the wonderful culture, lifestyle, and living habits of Kashmiris and the initiative has widened employment opportunities in tourism and reached common people. The government has introduced new tourist destinations where hotels and restaurants are not well-established, but home-stays play a pivotal role in providing a homely atmosphere and facilities.</span><br />