NATHIAGALI, Jan 23 (APP):The winter tourism has started flourishing in upper areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa where its most scenic Galiyat, Kaghan, Kalam and Malam Jabba attracted tourists, adventure sports and snowfall lovers in droves.
Nathiagali, a scenic hilly station of Galiyat in Abbottabad has witnessed an influx tourists, snowfall and trout fish lovers on weekend arrived from width and breadth of Pakistan especially, from Punjab and Khyber Pakthunkhwa.
Following the Met Office’s snowfall forecast for weekend, the domestic tourists along with families thronged to Nathiagali, Dongagali, Ayubia, Bagnotar and Thandyani where they enjoyed light to moderate snowfall with erratic rainfalls over the snow-clad mountains along with cool breezes taking them into a state of ecstasy.
The snow-clad mountain peaks of Mukshpuri and Miranjani on western Himalayan hills near Nathiagali are centre of attraction of tourists and snowfall lovers.
Ayubia-Nathiagali, Donga Gali-Ayubia and Mukshpuri Top are the most frequented sites where local guides and horse riders are seen moving around to make a quick buck.
“Nathiagali is my favorite winter hilly station due to its diverse features, easy accessibility, pollution free cool weather and trout fish amid snowfall. No hill station carries more natural and mountainous beauty in the world than Nathiagali,” said Zeeshan Khan, a tourist from Nowshera district while talking to APP on Sunday.
He said trout fish amid snowfall has doubled my joy at Galiyat. “Three years ago, when I came to Galiyat for snowfall, I used car tyre chains for movement. This time, my journey was comfortable due to effective snow clearance operations by the Galiyat Development Authority and District Administration,” he said.
He maintained that high charges by private hotels could negatively impact the total intake of tourists to scenic sites of Nathiagali, Ayubia, Dongali, Harnoi, Bagnotar and Thandiani.
But now one can hope for ameliorating the situation of accommodation problem following the government decision to construct a state-of-the-art five star hotel at Nathiagali with an estimated cost of USD 25 million.
Spokesman of KP Tourism Department told APP that four integrated tourism zones (ITZ) at Mankial Swat, Thandiani Abbottabad, Ganol Mansehra and Madaklasht Lower Chitral would be developed and its master plan to be presented to the World Bank for implementation soon.
He said there are six plans and programmes for uplift of ITZ Thandiani comprising a 428-room hotel and a resort for tourists while five projects are for infrastructure and other facilities, adding Thandiani zone would be established on 640 kanal.
“Eight projects are for development of Ganol tourism zone, including a 218-room hotel and a resort while five projects are for infrastructure and other facilities,” he said, adding Ganol zone would be established on 480 kanal.
Seven projects were sketched for ITZ Mankial in Swat on 754 kanal where a 71-room hotel and a resort would be constructed besides five projects were presented for infrastructure and other facilities.
For ITZ Madaklasht in Lower Chitral to be constructed on 540 kanal, he said there were eight projects, including construction of a 382-room hotel and a resort while five projects were for infrastructure and other facilities.
As result of Government’s pro tourism policies, a record 2.77 million tourists had visited Swat, Chitral, Nathiagali Abbottabad, Kaghan and Naran during vacations of Eid ul Azha last year.
These tourism activities in large scale generated wealth in KP where over Rs 66 billion businesses were made and Rs 27 billion earned by local people only from tourism during three holidays of Eid ul Azha.
To address the problem of accommodation and control overcharging by hotels in Hazara and Malakand Divisions, the KP government had planned a unique “Stay Home” project under which loans on easy terms and conditions from the Bank of Khyber would be provided to people of tourist areas for construction of at least one quality room as per Government design for comfortable stay of tourists. Tourists would pay rent and meal charges during their stay in said room to its owner, he added.
Camping pods constructed by KP government at Bamborat of Kalash Valley in Chitral, Shaheed Sir, Allai Battagram, Mahban and Malka in Buner district had attracted a substantial number of tourists especially to Malakand and Hazara divisions during last summer.
The spokesman said 10 new tourists sites had been identified in KP where new camping pods at Jarogo waterfall, Solatar and Kalam in Swat, Lashkargaz Broghal and Solarspot in Chitral, Kumrat in Dir Upper, Alpuri in Shangla, Samana Top in Hangu, Larum Top and Bin Shahi in Dir Lower would be setup.
Colonial-era walking tracks including Nathiagali-Thandiani, Thandiyani-Satto- Mahnoor and Kaghan-Saiful Malook-Anso in Mansehra are improved.
Besides establishment of three new ski resorts in Kaghan, Chitral and Swat, he said four new hill stations including two in Kaghan, one each in Chitral and Abbottabad would be developed to reduce visitors load on existing tourist destinations and promote skiing sports.
Work on KP Integrated Tourism Development Project (KPTDP) amounting to Rs 2,667.428 million, Integrated Tourism Development Project (KITE) amounting to Rs 3,000 million and Rs 500 million for development of Galiyat Development Authority (GDA) expedited.
Under the KITE project, a container based facilitation centre was being constructed at Chitral, Abbottabad, Mansehra and Dir Upper to provide emergency assistance to tourists.
As many as Rs 4655.134 million is being spent on construction of access roads in remote areas of Hazara division, Rs 320 million on development of camping pods,Rs 500 million on construction of jeepable tracks in tourists’ areas and a seven kilometers long pony track between Saiful Malook and Ansoo lakes.
Following successful completion of the 81 kilometres Swat Motorway (Phase-I) from Karnal Sher Khan interchange Swabi to Chakdara Lower Dir with an estimated cost of Rs34 billion, the incumbent government has taken a principle decision to construct Swat Motorway Phase-II from Chakdara to Madain to open up the entire Malakand division for tourists.
Managing Director, Pakhtunkhwa Highway Authority, Engineer Amir Durrani told APP that Swat Motorway Phase –II would be completed with an estimated cost of Rs38 billion.
He said work order for construction of 80 kilometer Swat Motorway-II is in process and its groundbreaking would be arranged soon.
Similarly, work on the 360 kilometres Peshawar-D.I.Khan Motorway was in advanced stage that would be completed at an estimated cost of Rs 261.6 billion.
Engr Amir said Dir Motorway having 29 kilometres length from Chakdara Lower Dir to Rabaat Upper Dir with a proposed cost of Rs38.9 billion had been approved.
Kaghan Development Authority (KDA) had been reactivated by the KP Government and has approved building rules for Naran.
Tout jumping out of water and then vanishing back into green waters of River Kunhar would be added as a new feature of adventure sports in Naran.
Naran and Kaghan climate is most suitable for tulip gardening that would soon begin in the area where growers are likely to earn Rs 60,000 from one kanal produce. The Battakundi-Lalazar chairlift project was also under consideration.
The spokesman said the world’s longest and highest 14 kilometers long Cable car Project (CCP) with a proposed cost of Rs32 billion had been planned to connect Kumrat Valley of Dir Upper with Madaklasht valley of Lower Chitral to promote adventure sports.
He said the Cable Car project on completion would attract around one million tourists every year to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
On completion of Peshawar-DIKhan Motorway, Swat Motorway Phase-II, Dir Expressway and others tourism projects, he said the entire province from Kalam Swat to DIKhan would be interconnected and converted into a hub of trade, business and tourism besides generating hundreds of thousands of jobs for people.
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