Islamabad: Carrying forward its promise to exploit the full potential of tourism in Pakistan, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has announced the setting up of a 114km-long tourism corridor to connect Kalam with Dir.
The project, aimed at developing sustainable road infrastructure, will give tourists access to eight prominent tourist resorts located in the northern parts of the country.
Ministry of Tourism, Sports, Youth, Culture and Archaeology of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has given a principal approval for establishing the facility with the help of the World Bank, an official source in the ministry said.
Giving details of the project, he said eight well-known tourist destinations included Kalam, Anakar valley, Utrore, Gabral, Kumrat, Jahaz Banda, Sheringal and Dir, while dozens more scenic spots also fall in the same route.
Passing through Anakar valley, Utrore, Gabral, Kumrat and Sheringal, he said the route would start from Kalam and culminate at Dir. A 14km link to be established between Kumrat and Jahaz Banda would also help strengthen connectivity between local areas, he added.
The official said: “Over 1 million tourists visited Swat and Kalam during Eid Al Fitr, which shows the establishment of a corridor would attract a record number of nature lovers once it becomes operational”.
He said the project cost would be fixed after conducting its feasibility study.
Earlier, he said the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government had allocated Rs5.9 billion (Dh137 million) for the current fiscal year to uplift the tourism sector in the province.
A major chunk of the budget would be spent on developing tourist attraction sites while Rs300 million would be utilised for establishing tourism police, the official added.
