PILGRIMAGE AND RELIGIOUS TOURISM

This sector has shown an exponential growth in the last few years, and at present there are three well-established pilgrimage circuits where helicopters are being used to ferry thousands of pilgrims every year.

VAISHNO DEVI SHRINE

This is a religious Hindu shrine that lies in an ancient Cave at 6100 ft. in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. This is a round-the-year pilgrimage circuit, though the number of pilgrims is at a peak in the summer months.

AMARNATH CAVE PILGRIMAGE

This is another Hindu Pilgrimage that opens up for approximately 45 to 60 days every year during the summer months.

BADRINATH-KEDARNATH PILGRIMAGE

This is another pilgrim destination in Uttarakhand that has been tapped by helicopter operators since 2006.
Other than the above-established avenues, there are some other destinations viz. Buddhist circuits, Ajmer Sharif, etc.

HELI-SKIING AND ADVENTURE TOURISM

Heli-skiing was introduced successfully in India in the Manali region of Himachal Pradesh in 2006. Since the slopes of the lower Himalayas offer some of the best quality of snow for skiing, it attracted a very niche clientele. In subsequent years since then, heli-skiing options have been explored in the Srinagar valley and there is a further proposal by the State Government of Jammu and Kashmir to promote this winter sport.