Daily Times

From the valleys and snow-covered mountains to the lakes, rivers and green fields, the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) holds immense natural beauty to attract tourists from across the world. This area, during the time when it was called the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP), did attract visitors from far and wide. They visited Pakistan from the US, Europe, the Middle East and the Far East. While KPK is blessed with enormous natural beauty and weather conditions that appeal to tourists, this province also has a number of attractions as well. The Malam Jabba ski resort is a tourist’s delight. They indulge in a skiing experience like nowhere else found in South Asia. To live a moment of serenity and calmness, you can head towards the Lake Saif-ul-Malook. Naturally created as if placed inside a cup, the lake is surrounded by mountains that overshadow the lake as a king watching over its citizens. When going to the KPK, one can never ignore the mesmerizing beauty Nathiagali holds for visitors. Hikers and mountain climbers cherish following the paths in Nathiagali. Located an hour’s drive from Abbottabad and Murree, this area is best visited during the months of May to August. When in KPK, the Ayubia National Park must be visited for sure. The Park covers an area of nearly 3129 hectares. It is home to animals and birds that are feared to be extinct in the next few years.

To facilitate tourism in KPK, the government also launched a mobile application in July 2019. Titled as ‘KPTourism’, the objective of the app is to expand the efforts of the government in the region. Moreover, during the days following the launch of the mobile app, the KPK government announced to allocate nearly PKR 5 billion. This money will be used to promote tourism in the province. According to statistics, the number of tourists arriving in KPK weres the highest from 2010 to 2018. In 1994, 383,000 tourists visited KPK while the numbers increased to 907,000 in 2010. In 2018, 1,900,035 visited this area.

The government aims to spend Rs 3.7 billion on the construction of state-of-the-art tourism resorts across the province. Similarly, an estimated Rs100 million will be spent on establishing tourism police to provide security to foreign and local visitors.

A number of strategies must be implemented if the government wants to invite more visitors to KPK. First, the infrastructure must be developed. This includes roads and hotels. Safety precautions must be installed at the roads situated on hills and at the edge of the mountains. Safety for all must be the motto of the provincial and the local government. Furthermore, the hotels, motels and guest houses must be revamped and their interior and exterior must be overhauled. They must remain in top condition at all times especially during the months when the visitors from across Pakistan and from abroad visit KPK more often.

Second, the KPK government must hire such professionals in hotels as managers, receptionists, waiters and drivers who can effectively present themselves to the local and foreign visitors. They must be educated, are able to learn the tasks of the job and should own their job positions. More than the serene sights themselves, the aspect of meeting a trained, well-behaved, experienced staff adds value to the tourists’ experience.

The government aims to spend Rs 3.7 billion on the construction of state-of-the-art tourism resorts across the province. Similarly, an estimated Rs100 million will be spent on establishing tourism police to provide security to foreign and local visitors

Third, special emphasis must be given to promote the tourist destinations of KPK to local and global audiences. The concerned authorities responsible for marketing these vacation destinations must keep their social media pages active and must respond to queries on time. They should hire local video bloggers and professionals to develop videos and content for social media. This will attract potential tourists and also advertise the good side of Pakistan as well.

Fourth, there needs to be an annual seminar or conference held in KPK where foreign speakers and dignitaries are invited to speak. This will bring foreigners to the KPK and the media will also promote the conference and thereby market the scenes and sights of the area on national media. The visiting foreigners will also talk about KPK and its beauty on their social media and in print and electronic media that will create traction.

Fifth, the corporate sector along with the government in a public-private partnership must create avenues for the corporate sector to spend vacations in KPK. In this regard, banks and multinational companies can collaborate with the government to plan holiday packages for the employees and their families. More than social media, the word-of-mouth promotional method can also play a pivotal role in endorsing the beauty of this area.

Indeed, the tourism industry was one of the sectors affected by the war on terror as the global image of Pakistan had declined. However, it is up to the government, the civil society and the media to bring positivity and charm into the tourism industry. The travel agencies operating across the country can join hands with the KPK government to provide vacations for groups and individuals. This can, on a broader perspective, be connected with the public-private partnership method of promoting tourism in KPK. Incentives, however, can be given to social media companies to promote KPK’s beauty in collaboration with travel agencies.

The KPK government can use social media to its advantage in the best possible way. Food bloggers can be contacted to visit KPK and make videos while they cherish delectable local food. They can visit eateries, restaurants and roadside vendors to make their videos and promote the content at the international level. The KPK government can also work together with lifestyle bloggers and video bloggers who have a massive following over the internet. Instagrammers and Twitteraties can also be approached to promote the food, people, culture and life of KPK for the world to see. With an all-inclusive strategy to advertise and talk about the life of KPK and with collaborations, the KPK can become a key tourist destination in Pakistan and in South Asia. All that is needed is a will and the vision to succeed.

The writer, a columnist and book reviewer, frequently writes on current affairs