Tourism Opportunities and Tourism Promotion in Merged Districts of KP

Aima Afzaal
Northern areas of Pakistan are backbone of tourism industry in Pakistan. When we say, visit to Northern areas of Pakistan, the words click our minds include Kashmir, Naran and Gilgit Baltistan. Unfortunately, most of us don’t know the tourist sites in tribal areas of Pakistan neither we plan tour there nor any organization conduct their wilderness activities at Majestic tribal areas of Pakistan.
Due to the tireless efforts of Pak security forces and locals, the peace prevails in the region thoroughly which results into turning the title of Pakistan from terrorism to tourism in previous years. Security forces of Pakistan achieve this success through the price of their blood which eventually make this place the true piece of heaven both on demographic and geographical grounds. They not only take part in curbing the terrorist activities but also provide the basic facilities of roads, institutes, infrastructure and telecommunication services to the local communities.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government already allocated budget for the revival of tourism in Merged areas and focusing on betterment of new tourist attractions and facilitations. There is no doubt that this rise of tourism activities will also bring employment opportunities to locals including hotels, transportation and traditional food.
The tourists should respect the culture and norms of tribal areas. For this purpose, we should discuss the term ” Tribal Tourism ” which include breathtaking sight seeing of Orakzai agency, Bajaur agency, Khurram agency, Razmak and the famous Khyber Pass. These areas are filled with natural beauty, lush green jungles, hiking trials and mighty mountains with numerous lakes and archaeological sites.
Initiative to show beauty of the tribal areas to the world will bring business opportunities and financial stability to the region. We have example of Kumrat valley. Earlier only locals know about the valley but after exploration and development, Kumrat valley is catching the tourist as equal to Naran Kaghan Valley due to their wilderness environment and pleasant surroundings. The same scenario will be applicable to tribal areas exploration and their marketing as it will be of low cost to the traveller and more exploring the nature.
Let’s plan next tourism destination to promote the ” Tribal Tourism ”.