Jammu and Kashmir must preserve its heritage by turning cultural sites into living economic assets, not neglected monuments
In Jammu and Kashmir, heritage is not merely about old stones, fading facades, or abandoned precincts of another age. It is a living archive of memory, identity and civilisational depth. From ancient temples and Mughal gardens to wooden shrines, historic forts, caravan routes, old town quarters and vernacular architecture, the UT possesses a cultural wealth that few places can rival. Yet much of this inheritance remains underused, poorly maintained, and disconnected from the economic life of the people. If Jammu and Kashmir is serious about building a durable and diversified tourism economy, it must move beyond postcard tourism and begin converting heritage and cultural sites into carefully managed revenue-generating assets. The case for doing so is compelling. 495 heritage sites have been identified across the Union Territory for possible tourism and cultural promotion. These numbers reveal both promise and paradox. Tourist footfall is rising, but heritage has not yet been integrated into a coherent economic strategy. In Kashmir alone, 34.98 lakh tourists visited in 2024, and the Gulmarg Gondola generated around ₹103 crore from about 7.68 lakh visitors, proving that well-managed visitor assets can create substantial returns. The lesson is obvious: when public assets are professionally developed, maintained and marketed, they can generate income, jobs and local enterprise. But monetisation cannot mean vulgar commercialisation. Heritage must not be reduced to a real-estate opportunity or an event backdrop stripped of authenticity. The right approach is adaptive reuse with safeguards. Old buildings and heritage precincts can house museums, craft centres, cultural cafés, boutique stays, interpretation hubs and performance spaces without compromising their historic character. The government itself has signalled such a direction through plans for heritage-based tourism circuits and adaptive reuse of palaces, forts, havelis and old municipal buildings, with an emphasis on public-private partnerships. The Culture Department has also acknowledged that many identified sites remain underutilised because of poor coordination, inadequate finance and limited technical expertise. That is where policy must become practical. Jammu and Kashmir needs a transparent heritage economy framework: conservation first, professional management next, and local benefit at the centre. Revenue from tickets, guided tours, cultural programming, hospitality, handicrafts and curated events should partly flow back into restoration and community livelihoods. If heritage is preserved only as nostalgia, it will decay. If it is used wisely, it can become both a keeper of identity and a generator of dignity. Jammu and Kashmir must now make that choice.