SWAT, Dec. 28 (Gwadar Pro) - During the past few weeks, Pakistan’s Swat valley witnessed massive influx of tourists from KP and Punjab provinces that had been never seen before in winter days.

 

Swat is known as the most-visited tourist destination in Pakistan during summer days, but the sprawling hotels and tourism hotspots like Fizagat, Madyan, Bahrain and Kalam remained deserted during winters. However, this year, people of the valley were amazed to see the tourists pouring in on such large scale that caused hours-long road blockades in Gabin Jaba, Malam Jaba, Mahudand, Bahrain, Kalam and other scenic areas.

 

Rahat, a resident from Raiwind, 40 kilometres from Lahore, capital of Punjab province, toured the valley for 3 days with a 32-member group of his friends. Rahat said he and his friends usually visited Swat valley every year during the months of June, July or August.

 

“This time we chose winter to enjoy the snowfall”, he said, “It is because the valley is now easily accessible in winter times, thanks to the Swat Expressway and improved road infrastructure between Mingora and Kalam”.

 

Zubair Torwali, a prominent historian and educationist from Bahrain area of Swat said it was for the first time in the history that the valley saw such mass-scale tourist inflow in winters. Historically, people who live in the valley need to migrate to areas such as Peshawar valley in search of livelihood, but this year no one left home because there were sufficient business opportunities in the valley.

 

Like Rahat, Torwali also attributed the phenomenon to improved roads, but Dr Naeem, a resident of Gulibagh area on Mingora-Kalam road, said that there is still a dire need of enhancing road infrastructure and promoting hotel industry to cater for the needs of growing volume of tourists. On every weekend during the current month, roads remained chocked for hours and hotels remained packed so that the tourists wandered for accommodation. He said that the hotel owners had also hiked room rental fee due to high demand.

 

Torwali said the one-way road between Bahrain and Kalam was the main cause of trouble.

 

Torwali said local people were benefiting well from tourism and if this winter tourism trend prevailed, people of Swat will have no need to leave their homes for earning money in other parts of the country or the world.

 

Saifullah, an economist, businessman and tourist from the adjacent Dir district said that the advent of winter tourism in the Swat valley and surrounding districts will give boost to the local economy. This trend can even divert the flow of money from the developed central and southern parts of the country to the northern parts, especially after completion of CPEC projects passing through these areas, he said.