PROVINCE REPORT
PESHAWAR: Secretary Tourism, Culture, Archaeology and Museums Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Raja Fazal Khaliq, has directed the concerned authorities to accelerate efforts to promote tourism and cultural activities in the province, highlighting its mountain ranges and adventure tourism potential at the international level.
He said adventure tourism activities were an encouraging initiative and stressed the need to organise events in different seasons to attract more domestic and international tourists. He also directed the authorities to expedite the development of 14 new tourist destinations and establish additional rest areas and facilities for visitors.
He expressed these views during his visit to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Culture and Tourism Authority office, where Director General Shahid Khan Mehmood briefed him on the authority’s performance and ongoing projects. Additional Secretary Rahimullah Mehsud, Chief Planning Officer Abdul Basit, Director Administration and Finance Shehryar Mehmood and other officials were also present.
During the briefing, Raja Fazal Khaliq emphasised that the Falak Sar Summit should be promoted internationally, similar to the Tirich Mir Summit, to highlight the province’s immense potential for adventure tourism. He also called for increasing the number of tourist facilitation centres and constructing more rest facilities at popular tourist destinations.
Appreciating the performance of the Tourist Services Wing, he said it had generated encouraging revenue within a short period. However, he directed the authorities to formulate standard operating procedures (SOPs) at the district level and complete the registration of unregistered hotels, restaurants, rent-a-car services, tour operators and tour guides.
Briefing the secretary on ongoing initiatives, Director General Shahid Khan Mehmood said adventure tourism training had been launched in Chitral and Swat. The training programme would cover rock climbing, paragliding, ice hockey, boating and other adventure tourism activities.
He further informed that the Tourist Facilitation Centre and stalls at Nishtar Hall, Peshawar, would be completed by next month. Construction work was also underway at various waterfalls across the province to provide rest areas and other essential facilities for tourists.
