Swat tourism has high hopes after successful military operations

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KALAM, Pakistan – Driving a high-roof van from Lahore, Haneef Ahmad was excited to arrive in Kalam after being away for four years. He and his family were eager to spend time in Kalam and refresh their memories of past years.

Kalam, 295km northeast of Peshawar, used to teem with thousands of tourists every summer. They came for the mountains and mild climate during a season when much of Pakistan bakes under a 53°C sun.

Those glory days ended abruptly when militants imposed a harsh rule over the Swat Valley for two years, a period that ended with military operations in May 2009.

Tayyab Nisar Mir, deputy manager of Publicity and Promotion for the Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC) said the situation in Swat Valley is returning to normal.

Multiple buses arrive from Rawalpindi and Lahore daily. All private hotels in Swat have announced a maximum room rent of Rs 500 per night. The PTDC has implemented a 20% discount in its motel at Saidu Sharif and a 50% discount at its motel in Kalam. And Saidu Sharif, Mingora, Fiza Ghat, Miandam, Madyan and Bahrain are available again, he said.

Locals and tourists are hoping this summer will end the misery of thousands of families (Swat’s hotels employ 30,000 to 50,000) who depend on tourism. But nothing is certain yet.

“Out of 74 rooms, only two are reserved for today even though we’re offering a 70% discount”, Asim, a luxury-hotel manager in Kalam Valley, said. “But this year seems to be better than the past three years, as peace has returned after a long time”.

Under the militancy, a police station in Kalam was blown up. Even after the military operation, Kalam remained under curfew for several months. Bahrain and Madyan, which have hundreds of hotels and motels, also endured hardship and devastation.

Subhanullah of Upper Kalam recalled his family’s suffering. “My house was blown up for being near a CD store, while one of my brothers was wounded in a battle with militants”, he said, putting his family’s losses at Rs 1.2m (US $14,000).

Now, however, peace prevails.

“There is no security problem for any tourists”, Qazi Jamilur Rahman, deputy inspector general of police Malakand, told Central Asia Online.

Ayub Khan Ashari, a provincial minister elected from Swat, agreed and said authorities would install more parks and picnic spots in the valley. They also plan to build an Astroturf hockey stadium in Swat, he added.

The Swat hotel industry suffered Rs 7.5 billion (US $88m) in losses until last year, estimated Swat Hotels Association President Zahid Khan. Syed Aaqil Shah, sports and culture minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, put the tourism sector’s losses at US $400m.

“Those who have suffered losses at the hands of terrorists need to be compensated properly by the government”, Khan said, adding that the industry needs interest-free loans to upgrade its facilities.

The effort to revive Swat tourism has become a priority. In recent weeks an inter-provincial tourism conference took place in Saidu Sharif, while Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ameer Haider Khan visited Swat at the end of May to encourage tourism.

“Reconstruction is in the offing to make the area a tourist hub again”, promised Federal Tourism Minister Maulana Attaullah. Among its joint projects with the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government is the restoration of the Malam Jabba ski resort, which was bombed during the insurgency.

Security remains tight throughout the valley.

Just opposite Fizagat, a popular riverside picnic spot, stands the Imam Dherai seminary, former headquarters of Tehreek-e-Taliban Swat. The army maintains an outpost near the park to keep an eye on Imam Dherai.

Tourists must put up with 24 security checkpoints between Landaki, at the entrance of the Swat district, and Kalam Valley. Nonresident motorists are supposed to give authorities the names of all their passengers when entering Madyan, Bahrain and Kalam. Every hotel must keep a record of all its guests. Every night, police check every hotel to verify who is staying there.

“These steps are a must for ensuring peace in the area”, said tourist Naseer Khan, but he expressed concern that such measures would create problems once large numbers of tourists begin arriving.

The government needs to fix the Bahrain-Kalam road too, said tourist Israr Bacha. “The 35km segment takes two hours to drive”, he said.

In retrospect, the government should not have offered 20 days’ free accommodation in Kalam in off-peak February, said an anonymous hotel owner. “That package should have been announced for this month”, he said.