MINGORA: Speakers at a seminar here on Tuesday said that promotion of cultural tourism could play vital role in development of the scenic Swat valley.

Swat had a lot of potential for tourism, they said, adding that students and local people could play an important role in preservation of archaeological sites in the district. They said that Swat Archaeological Guides Association (SAGA) was established to promote and preserve archaeological sites in the picturesque valley.

The seminar was organised by the Institute of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Hospitality Management (ICHTHM) of University of Swat in connection with the World Tourism Day.

Speaking on the occasion Saeed Akbar, tourist marketing consultant at ACT-field School Project, said that there was a lot of potential in the district for tourism. He said that Swat could be developed by promoting tourism in the region. He said that steps should be taken for promotion of cultural tourism.

Say students and local people can play important role in preserving archaeological sites

Mr Akbar said that students and local people could play an important role in preservation of archaeological sites in the district. He said that SAGA was formed to promote tourism in the area. The members of SAGA would take steps to preserve historical places in Swat, he added.

Speaking on the occasion Asad Raza, head of department of Tourism and Hospitality Hazara University, and Atif Iqbal, head of ICHTHM University of Swat, said that universities had introduced disciplines of tourism, hospitality and cultural heritage to enable the students to play a leading role in preservation of cultural heritage and promotion of tourism, particularly cultural tourism in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The speakers urged the provincial government to take action against the involved in illegal excavation of archaeological sites in Swat. The illegal practice was damaging the ancient civilisation of the area.

EXHIBITION: An exhibition titled ‘Girls have the freedom to enjoy educational activities’ was held here at a private school by Asia Foundation in collaboration with Swat Education Development Society.

The event was aimed at creating awareness among the people about the importance of female education.

Fazl Rabi, a representative of SEDS, said that they exhibited more than 6, 000 books during the last couple of days. The books would soon be provided to different schools in Swat, he added.

Mohammad Ali, a teacher, said that such healthy activities would create awareness among people about the importance of book reading. “I think that such activities must be arranged regularly for the students of Swat particularly for girls as they face difficulties in getting education,” he added

HOSPITAL: Provincial Home Sectary Syed Akhtar Ali Shah inaugurated a branch of Frontier Foundation Hospital at Saidu Sharif here on Tuesday.

Speaking on the occasion, he said that after the establishment of FFH’s branch in Swat, the children affected by thalassaemia would be benefited. He urged the community leaders to collect donations for thalassaemia patients in their respective areas.

FFH chairman Sahibzad Aleem and social activist Faqir Hussain also spoke on the occasion.

DENGUE CASES: Five new dengue cases were reported in Swat on Tuesday, taking the number of dengue patients to 214 in the district during the current summer.

The new dengue patients were identified as Mohammad Abbas, Sana, Qasimullah, Fazl Umar and Yaseen. An official said that eight dengue patients were discharged from Saidu hospital during last 24 hours after completion of treatment while three patients were under treatment.

Published in Dawn, October 1st, 2014