The Department of Tourism, J&K is the main developmental, promotional and regulatory arm of the J&K Government. Its main role comprises of:

• Overall planning and execution of schemes for the development, up-gradation and improvement of the tourism infrastructure in different parts of the State.
• Support to the private sector industry in the form of incentives for setting up various tourist facilities as well as for promotion and marketing of their products and services.
• Promotion and marketing of various tourist destinations and products of the State.
• Regulation of the travel-trade by enforcement of provisions of J&K Registration of Tourist Trade Act.

The Department of Tourism has Tourist Offices in all the tourist resorts of the State. In addition, there are 6 promotional offices outside the State, one each at New Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Chennai and Kolkata. Also, there is one provincial Director of Tourism each for Jammu and Kashmir Divisions. The Department also has Engineering Division under its control for the implementation and execution of various schemes for up-gradation and improvement of the basic and tourist infrastructure. For formulating and monitoring the plan schemes, the Department has a Planning Wing headed by an Assistant Director deputed by the State Planning and Development Department. For overall marketing and promotion including production of literature and other promotional tools, undertaking of advertisement campaigns and coordination of various marketing and promotional efforts, the Department has a Publicity Wing headed by the Deputy Director Publicity.

The Department of Tourism is provided with and controls an Annual Plan Budget. A sufficient amount is earmarked and utilized for providing incentives to the private-sector in the form of interest subsidy on loans advanced by various financial institutions for setting up or upgrading various tourism units. In addition, direct financial assistance is also given for conversion of residential houses as paying guest accommodation and for improvement of other facilities in the tourism sector. A sufficient amount is also earmarked for promotion and marketing of various destinations through the print and electronic media, as well as for sponsoring participation of the State's travel-trade delegations in various Travel Marts and Expos within the country and abroad. The Department also conducts Familiarization Tours of leading travel agents, tour operators and travel writers from within the country and abroad to different parts of the State.

The commercial activities in the tourism sector from the Government side are looked after by a public sector corporation know as the Jammu and Kashmir Tourism Development Corporation
(J&K TDC). It operates and manages Government accommodation in Tourist Centres at Srinagar and Jammu, and the Tourist Complexes, Hotels, Tourist Bungalows in various resorts. The Corporation also runs a Travel Division, which organizes package tours to various parts of the State and also arranges transport facilities for the tourists.

Other related organizations of the Tourism Department are the Jammu and Kashmir State Cable Car Corporation (J&K CCC) and the Sher-e-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC). The Cable Car Corporation operates a Gondola Lift at Gulmarg. It is also planning to set up similar facilities as joint ventures in different tourist resorts of the State. The Convention Centre has Conference facilities of International standard, and is connected to a five Star Hotel. An International Golf Course designed by World famous Golf Architect Robert-Trent Jones, Jr. has also come up in its vicinity.

For safeguarding the interests of tourists visiting Jammu and Kashmir, the State has enacted a special legislation titled the " Jammu and Kashmir Registration of Tourist Trade Act, 1978/1982 ". Under this act, all the Tourist Officers posted in different resorts have been vested with special powers as Prescribed Authorities to register and regulate the tourist trade in their respective areas of jurisdiction, and to look into complaints from tourists visiting the State, the Department has an Enforcement Wing headed by a Superintendent of Police on deputation from the Police Department who is designated as Deputy Director Tourism (Enforcement). There is a contingent of Tourist Police on deputation from the Police Department under the administrative control of Deputy Director Tourism ( Enforcement) for assisting him in the disposal of complaints of tourists. The Registration Act also confers compounding powers on the Deputy Director Tourism (Enforcement) enabling him to settle the complaints on the spot. For cases requiring prosecution, written complaint of a tourist is admissible as evidence even if he may have left the State.