Following the prediction by the Meteorological Department about the snowfall over the hills of Upper Khyber Pakthunkhwa including Swat valley, the tourists and snowfall lovers on Sunday thronged to the most scenic Kalam, Bahrain and Malam Jabba valleys to enjoy the first snowfall of the winter season. Tourists along with families mostly arrived from different districts of Central Punjab and northern Khyber Pakthunkhwa were being seen in substantial numbers in Upper Swat’s valleys of Kalam, Madain, Bahrain and Malam Jabba exploring its mesmerizing natural beauty amid light rain that turned weather extremely cold and muggy. The cold breeze increased chill in these areas forcing tourists to wear additional cloths. Tourists from Peshawar, Nowshera, Mardan, Charsadda, Lahore, Rawalpindi and Islamabad were seen in large numbers at Kalam, Malam Jabba and Bahrian to get pleasures from snowfall, trout fish and river rafting on weekend. Besides Kalam and Malam Jabba, the snowy mountains peaks of Gabin Jabba, Miandam, Matiltan, Kalam, Utror, Gabral, Matiltan, Mahodand, Loye Sar resorts have drawn influx of snowfall lovers along with families and children amid great fun and laughter. “I came from Karak to my favorite tourists’ destination Kalam for snowfall and trout fish following MET’s office forecast for snowfall over the hills of Upper Swat,” said Waris Khan, an employee of a Govt Corporation while talking to APP. He said Swat was known for a combination of its seven distinctive features including snowfall that was hard to find together in any tourist destination of Pakistan. In addition to being a home to primitive Gandhara civilization, he said the Swat’s unique features including ice skiing, river rafting, adventure sports, snow-clad mountain peaks, trout-fish, and Swat motorway has made it an ideal destination for winter tourism and sports in Pakistan. These distinctive characteristics, which are second to none in any other district of the country, draw adventure sportsmen, archeologists, water rafters, mountaineers, snowfall lovers, foodies, and eco-tourists throughout the year. He said tourists and adventure sports enthusiasts enjoy all these mesmerizing beauty in a day long trip. The 150-kilometer-long freshwater of the river Swat originating from different glaciers and lakes including Mahodand and Gabral mountains offers unique opportunities for adventure sports enthusiasts to explore in a single day trip along with loved ones. Fazagut, Fatehpur, Barikot and Chakdara were the most suitable for water rafting in river Swat and if developed on modern lines could attract a large number of tourists during winter. River Swat is ideal for ‘fish jumping and disappearing water sports’ and introduction of such sports would help bolster the rural economy and promote tourism and transport industry in KP. Bestowed with more than 50 high-altitude small and big lakes, Swat’s Mahodand Lake is an exceptional source of attraction for tourists enjoying its blue- waters and boats riding amid cold breezes and snowfalls. Misal Khan, a retired Govt employee, told APP on Sunday that he came from Nowshera to enjoy snowfall in Kalam, trout fish of River Swat and Mahudhand Lake. He said Mahudand and Gabrial lakes carried unique charm and clean air besides nearby birds chanting valleys take tourists into a lap of serenity. “I have ordered 5 KG trout fish to enjoy with my family members,” he said, adding green trout of Swat attract foodies at Kalam, Madain and other areas of the district. Besides its famous Deodar trees and precious wildlife, he said the Swat’s snow-clad tall mountain ranges of Falakser, Mankial and Elum peaks offer great challenges to mountaineers and trekkers to explore especially during winter. Likewise, its extensive plains and orchards that bear fruits and vegetables carried a unique comparative advantage than other tourists’ destination of the country. He advised tourists to bring warm clothes and sweaters while coming to Upper Swat these days in the wake of chilly weather and rainfall. Attracting Buddhists, monks and archaeologists from across the world throughout the year, the Swat’s archaeological treasures and ancient artifacts housed at Saidu Sharif Museum become a distinctive feature taking tourists to the glorious history of Swat. The archeologists and tourists visited different Buddhist sites of Swat including Saidu Sharif Museum and Stupa besides Buthkara Buddhist monastery which impressed them a lot. He said Swat was very important in terms of Buddhist history in Pakistan and must be visited by followers of Bhuddism from all around the world. Another striking feature of Swat is skiing sports being played at Malam Jabba every year during winter and such sport was hardly placed in any part of the country. KP tourism department officials told APP that a mega project was prepared for organizing different winter sports and tourism events in various districts including Swat. Kalam’s winter gala and tour-de-cycle race would be organized in Swat while first-ever sports rafting at River Swat to be held besides an international paragliding event at Saidu Sharif. He said a youth leadership conference and skiing event at Malam Jabba was also planned. To reduce tourists’ load at Kalam, Malam Jabba and Bahrian, he said new tourists spots would be developed at Sola Tanar, Puchar and Jargo valleys while walking tracks to promote ecotourism in Swat. To maintain natural beauty and avoid pollution at tourist spots in Swat, he said camping pods would be established at new tourists’ destinations besides Kalash culture events in Chitral. To link new tourist destination with Swat Motorway, he said that huge amount were being spent on development and construction of new roads. Work on the World Bank’s assisted KP Integrated Tourism Project was underway in the province to promote tourism, he added. The construction of 15 jeepable tracks was also proposed in Malakand and Hazara divisions while six tourist facilitation centers were established and work on seven others started. The ground breaking of 23 km long Mankyal-Bada Sarai Road has been performed that would be rehabilitated. The project also includes the construction of four bridges and two rest areas. He said that an Integrated Tourism Zone at Mankyal Swat would be established where modern facilities would be provided to tourists under the KITE project. He said a mega project for feasibility studies for identification of new tourist spots was planned. To promote ecotourism in southern districts of KP, he said that a road to Sheikh Badin tourist resort located at the confluence of DI Khan and Lakki Marwat districts would be constructed while a tourist wing for merged areas was established to monitor and oversee tourism-related activities there. Tourism police was made operational at Malakand and Hazara divisions to facilitate tourists. He said Tourism Police were deployed on key places of Swat to facilitate tourists and snowfall lovers during winter season.