With the skiing season nearing its seasonal end, the winter beauty of snow covered and picturesque Malam Jabba, marks the arrival of spring season in Swat Valley after receiving another snowfall of winter last month.
The breathtaking landscape, accompanied by the chirping of birds amidst the pine forests and wildlife, sets the perfect stage for adventure with the snow sports enthusiasts enjoying the thrill of skiing.
As the sun rises over the snowy peaks of Malam Jabba at Koh-e- Handukash range, the valley comes alive with the sound of excitement, as families and tourists besides immature skiing lovers take to the snowy slopes till evening.
Malam Jabba, Miandam, Matiltan, Utror, Gabral, and Loye Sar resorts in Swat draw tourists from across the country. At an altitude of 2,804 meters, Malam Jabba is renowned for its skiing runs, ice hockey, snowboarding and curling on its two tracks, which stretch over 800 meters, making it the largets skiing slope of Pakistan.
The region’s winter sports, combined with the picturesque scenery, make it a unique destination for adventure sports enthusiasts. In addition to skiing and snowboarding, the region is also known for river rafting, trekking and the magnificent snow-clad mountain peaks besides scores of archeological Buddhists sites offering great opportunities for tourists to explore.
Swat motorway further increased the accessibility of Malam Jabba, making it an ideal destination for winter tourism and adventure sports in Pakistan.
Manzoorul Haq, former Ambassador holds this sports destination as unique across the world with its mesmerizing beauty and sports and tourism opportunities.
“I have visited many countries but could not find such distinctive tourism features together as being found in Swat especially at Malam Jabba,” he said. “Malam Jabba is my favorite winter hilly station due to its diverse features, easy accessibility, pollution free cool weather and trout fish amid snowfall with high velocity.
“No hill station carries more natural and mountainous beauty in the world than this valley”, he said and commenting, it is right time to take advantage of digital technology and showcase these hidden treasures before the world through short videos on social media platforms.”
Waris Khattak, a visitor from Karak district also spoke highly of Malam Jabba’s winter beauty especially snowfall and skiing sports that he found to be even more intense than that of Murree and Chitral.
He enthusiastically described the experience of enjoying fresh trout fish with his family while enjoying the charm of Malam Jabba, Kalam and Mahudhand lake. “Beyond natural attractions, Malam Jabba and Swat also attract those interested in the region’s historical and archaeological significance.”
Saqib Raza, Assistant Director Archaeology and Museums Department, highlighted Swat’s importance in Buddhist history, with key sites like Saidu Sharif Museum and Buthkara Buddhist Monastery, attracting tourists, monks and scholars across the world. “These historical landmarks should be promoted on digital platforms to draw more international visitors to bolster economy and alleviate poverty in rural areas of northern KP.”
An economist Dr Naeem Khattak remarked that Pakistan tourism’s revenue was increasing with each passing year as he claimed it reaching US$1.3 billion in 2023 that is 2.15 times more than previous year.
Similarly, he said, Pakistan’s tourism revenue is projected to reach $4.26 billion this year while from 2025 to 2029, it is expected to grow 6.75% annually and forecast to reach US$ 5.53 billion by 2029.
“To achieve these ambitious targets, we need to use digital and social media tools to highlight Malam Jabba’s like destinations to attract foreign tourists,” he suggested.
To further enhance Malam Jabba’s tourism appeal, Shad Khan, Spokesman of the Culture and Tourism Authority mentioned to developing various projects to make Swat winter capital due to seven unique features including paragliding, river rafting, trout fish, swat expressway and snowfall.
“New tourist spots in areas like Sola Tanar, Puchar, and Jargo valleys besides initiatives like ecotourism walking tracks are being developed in Swat,” he said. “New camping pods at different destinations are also being established to minimize load on existing tourists’ zones in Kalam and Malama Jabba.”
Omar Khattak, General Manager KP Tourism and Culture Authority said, different plans were chalked out for linking Malam Jabba, Bahrain and Kalam with the Swat Expressway. “Development of ongoing Integrated Tourism Zone at Mankyal Swat under World Bank’s Integrated Tourism Project would help promote sustainable tourism. It is set to boost sustainable tourism and adventure sports in Swat.”
Besides these initiatives, tourism Police has been deployed at key spots across Swat especially in Kalam and Malam Jabba to ensure a smooth and enjoyable experience for visitors, Omar said. “To provide affordable accommodation to tourists and ice skinning lovers, host tourism project was launched in KP, offering loans up to Rs three million to locals to create safe and comfortable lodging for tourists.”
As Malam Jabba continues to evolve into one of top tourism destinations for winter tourism in Pakistan with its unique tourism features, the experts underscored the need for proper projection of these tourism destinations across the world to promote soft image of Pakistan as well as tourism to earn more and more revenue.