Thousands flock to hill stations in Swat, Chitral

Despite the worries of the coronavirus and repeated warnings by the experts, a large number of tourists reached the hill stations of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) on the country’s 75th Independence Day.

Most of the tourists headed for Swat, Kalam. However, a large number of people also reached Chitral as it has become popular among the visitors.

“All the hotels in Mingora and Kalam are full to the capacity. Some tourists were forced to spend night by the roadside as thousands of tourists poured into the valley on the eve of Independence Day. Last night, it was impossible to get a room in local hotels,” a local resident Sadaqat Khan said while talking to The Express Tribune.

“Normally people come to Swat a day ahead of August 14 and spend the next day in the valley. In the evening, they leave,” he said, adding that Kalam and Gabeen Jaba were the top destinations but the government had failed to invest in the infrastructure to facilitate the tourists.

He maintained that accommodation in the area was expensive due to which it was not possible for the tourists to have extended stays at the hill stations.

On the other hand, thousands of people reached Chitral of whom several headed to Kalash Valley. Upper Chitral is one of the most-affected districts from Covid-19 as 30 per cent positivity had been recorded there.

On Friday, tourists including the foreigners attended the Independence Day celebrations in Kalash Valley where Special Assistant to CM on Minorities Wazir Zada was the chief guest. A large number of local residents were also present on the occasion.

With the improvement in law and order situation, Chitral is now very popular among the local and foreign tourists, which has positively impacted the local hotel industry, restaurants and the transport sector.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 15^th, 2021.