More than 5 lakh tourists visited Swat Valley on Eid holidays, DC Swat Junaid Khan
Peshawar
The number of tourists to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) tourist’s spots have rapidly increased as millions of people from all over the country, in the recent holidays of Eid ul Adha visited the scenic valley of Swat and Hazara division.
Tourist inflow has been increasing as heatwave hits the parts of the country and government relaxed Covid-19 restrictions across the country, said an official of the tourism department.
Since the provincial government, under the leadership of Chief Minister Mahmood Khan has prioritized the tourism sector as a driver of economic growth the number of tourists to Swat, Kaghan, Narran, Mansehra, Dir upper and lower have largely increased.
Several photos have gone viral on social media where a sea of tourists was seen in Swat, Kaghan, Narran, Mansehra.
People from the plains are visiting tourist hotspots to get rid of the scorching heat.
After reopening the recreational sites in northern areas, the provincial tourism department has made it mandatory for visitors to the tourist spots in KP to submit Covid-19 vaccination certificates or negative test reports with the hotels at the time of booking.
In view of possible Coronavirus spread, the department has ordered the staff of hotels, guesthouses, restaurants, tour operators,s and tour guides to ensure Covid-19 vaccination.
Maqbool Hussain, additional deputy commissioner Mansehra said around one million people visited tourist-destinations of Kaghan and Narran.
He said that the incumbent provincial has improved basic infrastructure and made easy access to newly discovered waterfalls, lakes, open green patches, mountain peaks, and old sites in the areas tourists number have increased as compared to last year.
“Many more are still pouring in the areas that would help to boost local business activities,” he added.
The deputy commissioner Swat Junaid Khan said that more than 500,000 tourists visited to Swat valley in the recent Eid holidays.
Apart from Swat and Naran, millions of tourists have also visited the areas of Dir Kumrat and Chital.
It is worth mentioning here that KP is the only province in the country which posses vast natural endowments and heritage. The influx of large numbers of tourists to KP, s tourist-spots mostly in upper districts will have a positive impact on economic growth.
The new tourist spots discovered by the provincial government has created opportunities for investment and jobs for local people and also attracted investors from all over the country.
