SHANGLA: Tourists have demanded the reopening of the Pakistan Tourism Department Corporation motels located along the Karakoram Highway in different areas complaining they struggle to find good and affordable accommodation during their visit to the region.

Student Fatima Khan told Dawn here that she along with friends was travelling to Hunza valley in Gilgit-Baltistan region but was disappointed to find the PTDC Motel in Bisham closed.

“We [students] can’t afford high rent of private hotels, so we thought about lodging in Bisham PTDC Motel due to low room charges but its closure frustrated us,” she said.

The PTDC had closed all its motels in northern areas and terminated the services of employees in July last year citing the continuous huge losses as the reason.

Complain about unavailability of affordable motor lodges

Lahore-based tourist Tanzeel Hasnain also regretted the PTDC Motel’s prolonged closure and said the government should’ve ensured the motel’s opening in the tourist season to generate revenue.

Subhan Ali of Multan said the government forced tourists to visit tourist places of the country to spend some time in peace and enjoy but due to closure of PTDC’s motels had badly affected the country’s tourist although the prevailing government was making tall claims regarding the tourism boosting but in fact its put tourism at destruction.

The tourists demanded of the government to reopen the PTDC motels without delay to encourage more and more people from other parts of the country and abroad to visit the country’s northern parts, which are visited by around million tourists during the summer season.

Meanwhile, assistant commissioner of Bisham tehsil Khurram Rehman Jadoon on Saturday stopped the traffic police from imposing fine on tourists travelling on the Karakoram Highway in the region. Mr Jadoon issued a video message on social media asking hotel owners to cooperate with tourists and ensure the best and quality services to them to help the government promote tourism in the region.

He said the traffic police in Shangla area shouldn’t fine tourists and should cooperate with them and facilitate them as much as they could to increase tourist activities.

The assistant commissioner said the government instructed the administrations to ensure the provision all basic facilities to tourists in their respective areas and establish rest areas for them.

Published in Dawn, March 14th, 2021