KARACHI, Nov 21: Local and foreign tourists are avoiding trips to northern areas since the Oct 8 quake, but hotel owners however are doing good business owing to arrival of officials and workers of aid and rehabilitation organizations.

People associated with tourism industry confirmed to Dawn that there was a slump in the business as people were not coming up for enquiry at the government tourism department in the city.

General Manager, Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC), South Zone, Riaz Hassan Khan told Dawn that some 20-25 couples used to visit the city PTDC office every year for booking of motel and resorts of Malamjabba and other areas for honeymoon.

“Even locals who used to go for skating in northern areas and Kaghan Valley are not turning up since the earthquake has devastated road routes, besides causing huge casualties. Tourists used to go to Naran from Balakot areas,” he added.

He said every year some 50-60 persons, after enquiring through the PTDC Karachi office, used to visit northern areas for skating.

The PTDC city office earned Rs8.0-8.5m during Jan to Oct 2005 by managing individual and group trips to northern areas as against Rs6 to Rs6.5m it earned the same period last year 2004.

“The future outlook depends on the timely reconstruction and rehabilitation of affected areas,” he said.

He said that hotels were virtually full in northern areas and other parts of Kashmir where officials and workers of various organizations, engaged in reconstruction and rehabilitation work, were staying.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Hotels Association chairman Aziz Boolani told Dawn from Islamabad that the arrivals of diplomatic missions, reconstruction teams, officials of aid organizations etc., had nullified the negative impact on hotel business as these people had occupied sizable number of rooms in upcountry hotels.

“If these teams would have not arrived then it would have certainly made an impact on the hotel business,” he added.

He said that the November 15 bomb blast in PIDC House had no major impact on hotel business that killed three persons and injured 21 others.

“Only five to seven per cent room occupancy had declined for few days after the blast but it has now settled and the business is going normal,” Boolani said.