PESHAWAR: Over 600,000 people visited seven major tourist destinations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, mostly Malakand and Hazara divisions, during five Eid holidays, said the tourism department.

The provincial government had announced holidays for the post-Ramazan festival from May 2 through May 6.

In a statement issued here on Friday, the tourism department said the tourist data collected by the police and Levies check posts, assistant commissioner’s offices, Kaghan Development Authority, Galiyat Development Authority revealed that on the first Eid day, 24,140 people visited seven tourist areas, including Upper Dir, Kalam Valley, Malam Jabba, Galiyat, Lower and Upper Chitral, and Kaghan and Naran.

According to it, 20,000 people went to Galiyat region on May 2 and 18,000 on May 3, while visitors to Kaghan and Naran totalled 7,500 on the second Eid day.

They complain of being fleeced by hoteliers, food sellers

May 4 recorded the arrival of over 100,000 tourists in the province with Malam Jabba and Galiyat receiving 25,000 visitors each. The highest number of 27,000 tourists reached Upper Dir, while 13,500 people visited Kaghan and Naran.

On May 5, over 200,000 people went to those tourist destinations with Upper Dir receiving the highest number of 100,000 visitors followed by Malam Jabba (85,000), Galiyat (60,000) and Lower Chitral (20,000).

Kalam area in Swat district and Kaghan and Naran areas in Mansehra district received 12,500 tourists each.

On May 6, 240,300 tourists made it to those regions with Malam Jabba recording the highest arrival tally of 110,000 followed by 65,000 in Galiyat, over 24,000 in Kaghan and Naran, 11,000 in Lower Chitral, 14,000 in Upper Dir and 15,000 in Kalam Valley.

In the statement, the tourism department appreciated its officials and relevant district administrations for facilitate tourists during Eid holidays and said a 24/7 helpline guided visitors round the clock.

It said 143 tourists approached the helpline to seek general information, 92 to know about routes, 36 to lodge complaints against hoteliers and restaurants for overcharging them, 20 tourists to learn about government rest houses and nine to report the blocking of roads.

The department urged the people from other parts of the country to call Helpline 1422 before leaving for KP to get information about travel. It also asked them to follow the advisories issued by it and other authorities to make their journey to the province hassle-free.

Meanwhile,the Kohat residents thronged the nearby Orakzai district, popularly known as paradise on earth, to enjoy Eid holidays along streams amid thick jungles.

Major tourist crowds were attracted by Tirah, Khwaja Khizar and Kalaya areas, while some adventurists went up the hills in Upper Orakzai.

The visitors barbequed meat and cooked tikka karahi on lush-green grounds.

Saeed Afridi of Tirah area told Dawn that he took friends to a relative’s house and grilled meat there before going to the thick deodar forests to relax in clean air and peaceful environment.

He said the area was no less than a blessing for the people of Kohat and Hangu, while the residents of Punjab and Peshawar could afford to visit it compared with Swat and Murree, where food and lodging was very expensive.

He said the promotion of tourism would create job opportunities in the region.

Galiyat and Thandiyani areas in Abbottabad district recorded a huge influx of tourists during Eid days. However, most visitors complained about high prices of food and other items.

Chaudhry Aleem of Sialkot told Dawn at Harno picnic spot that drinks sold by the shopkeepers were substandard and highly-priced.

He also complained of being charged for sitting on charpoys placed on the bed of the River Harno.

Tourists resented the ‘excessive’ parking charges and said the administration didn’t do anything to prevent profiteering on the post-Ramazan festival. Hoteliers in Nathiagali and other tourist places also fleeced visitors.

Motorists complained that they were stopped between Havelian and Galiyat by traffic police teams at least six times and were heavily fined for being not having route permits.

Published in Dawn,May 7th, 2022