Stunning spots of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are back on the radar of tourists

Stunning spots of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) are back on the radar of tourists with thousands thronging its snowy resorts to participate in snow festivals and winter sports competitions, being organized by the tourism authorities to promote the area as top adventure destination of the world.

Tourism in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Tourism of Pakistan is in limelight since pre-COVID times when British Backpacker Society in 2019 pronounced that the country would be the world’s rapidly growing tourist and travel destinations of the next decade. The trend remains unchanged even after the coronavirus pandemic as its mesmerizing resorts were ranked among the world’s best tourists destinations by the international journals such as Condé Nast Traveller and the New York Times.

Credit for this does not only go to our soldiers, who have ensured lasting peace in the area by rendering numerous sacrifices, but also to the present government which has been taking inclusive steps to market its tourism potential at international level in an effective manner.

According to Head of Tourism Corporation of KP Junaid Khan, a series of winter sports competition and snow festivals were being organized at the tourist resorts of KP such as Naraan, Kaghan, Galyat, Kalam and Malam Jabba.

Those resorts were abuzz with winter sports activities such as skiing, snowboarding and ice hockey in the current season, he added, while while confirming APP that a large number of climbers, skiers and snowboarders were visiting the northern areas of Pakistan this season in the quest of adventurism.

The TCKP, he said, had organized a grand winter sports festival at over 8,000-foot-high ski resort of Malam Jabba from January 22 to 24. A number of athletes from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Belgium took part in the snowboarding championship, which was also part of the festival, he added.

He said the festival, which also featured alpine skiing and skiing for the athletes of less than 15 year, would send a positive message about Pakistan across the globe.

He asserted that the government’s efforts for tourism promotion were yielding positive results as tourist influx to the prominent tourist destination of KP had increased manifold. The TCKP had played key role in attracting local and foreign tourists, he added.

Junaid said the province was not only blessed with beautiful landscapes and spectacular sceneries but also abundant with minerals and other natural resources. Fresh water lakes, snow-capped peaks, lush green meadows and valleys were main features of this region, he added.

Likewise, he said a three-day snow festival was held at Galyat recently that attracted more than 20,000 tourists from across the world. A three-day winter gala – Hindukush Snow Sports Festival – was concluded just a couple of days ago with thrilling snow sports and traditional activities in the scenic Madaklasht valley in Lower Chitral district of KP, he added.

Tourism experts are appreciating the government’s efforts for tourism promotion and expressed the hope that the snow festivals would not only project the true image of Pakistan at international level but also boost the economic activities in the province, which would eventually lead to the economic development.