MURREE: A social media campaign has been launched asking tourists to boycott Murree during the current season against misbehaviour of local hotel agents, hoteliers and transporters with the tourists.

The campaigners alleged that the agents, hoteliers and transporters harassed families and overcharged the visitors.

They even beat the tourists if the latter ask about overcharging, substandard or unhygienic food etc.

The campaign has been launched after some recent incidents in which hotel agents misbehaved and even beat up tourists, including families, and their videos went viral on the social media.

About 10 to 15 million tourists visit Murree and Galliat each year. In the summer, thousands of tourists also spend nights on roadsides.

“There may be a few incidents and the campaign has been started against the resort town and its inhabitants. Some of them just want to create problems for the prime minister who belongs to Murree,” said Wajeeh Abbasi, a local journalist.

But Murree’s businessmen are on the height of commercialism and there are no code of conduct regarding lodging, transport and parking and other facilities.

The hotel agents keep on standing on roads in groups and force the tourists to get rooms on their behalf. Sometimes, they start scuffling with tourists over petty issues.

“The responsibility lies on Murree’s residents to take initiatives to solve the problem otherwise tourism would suffer,” said Engineer Idrees Abbasi.

Hafiz Javed Akhtar Abbasi, president Hotels’ Association, Saleem Akbar Abbasi, president Citizens’ Forum, Haji Shifaul Haq, president Anjuman-i-Tajiran, and others met the assistant commissioner and the assistant superintendent of police Murree and urged them to take action against the unregistered agents who were responsible for creating a bad impression of the traders and people of Murree.

Published in Dawn, May 2nd, 2018