Peshawar
Like others socio-economic sectors, tourism has also achieved tremendous growth during last one-year in Khyber Pakthunkhwa where its budget swelled to record Rs5.907 billion focusing on strengthening of infrastructure, development of new tourism and archeological sites in wake of PTI Government new visa policies directed to make Pakistan a hub of tourism.
The KP government, in line with vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan, has opened 174 government rest houses for tourists mostly in Hazara and Malakand divisions that saw unprecedented increase in arrival of tourists this summer season especially during Eidul Azha vacations.
KP government has increased budget of tourism department to Rs5.907 billion from Rs2.605billion to develop new tourists’ sites, link roads, chairlifts and improve existing conditions of government rest houses besides extending its services to erstwhile Fata, officials in KP Govt told APP.
PTI Government decisions to grant visas on arrival to citizens of 96 countries and e-visa facilities to 175 countries witnessed hundreds of thousands of tourists this year in all tourists destinations including Murree, Naran, Kaghan, Ayubia Malam Jabba, Swat, Madain, Chitral, Mardan, Taxila,Takht Bhai, Swat, Dir and Chitral.
The government’s visas initiatives would help attract a large number of tourists from Sri Lanka, China, South Korea and North Korea to visit Peshawar, Taxila and Swat museums where a rich collection of Bhudism were kept preserved.
As many as 20 new archaeological and tourists sites including construction of chair lift at Takhtbhai Mardan, Jolia Haripur and Budhkada Swat etc were identified. KP government has spent Rs500 million on up-gradation of archaeological sites and Rs560 million on welfare of Kalash community in Chitral.
Similarly, the KP government has allocated Rs2 billion for youth employment scheme to provide dignified jobs to people.
Before PTI Government in KP, tourism was kept on 30th position in priority list in public sectors departments and corporations in term of funding and now it attained eighth position, thus showing PTI’s priority for this key sector.
To bolster tourism and archaeology, Khyber Pakthunkhwa Government has decided to construct four new museums in different districts to conserve and protect precious antiques, artifacts and others primitive articles of Gandhara and other civilizations to attract foreign tourists besides archaeological, art, Buddhists, historians and architectural lovers.—APP
