PESHAWAR: Special assistant to the chief minister for tourism, culture, archaeology and museums Malik Adeel Iqbal has said that all possible arrangements and facilities will be ensured for the people visiting tourist destinations across the province during Eid days.
“Millions of tourists visit Khyber Pakhtunkhwa every year, so it is essential to provide them with the maximum facilities and a safe travel environment,” Mr Iqbal said during a visit to the office of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Culture and Tourism Authority after assuming charge as an aide to the chief minister.
He said the government was taking measures on priority to promote tourism and develop tourist destinations to enable visitors to explore more scenic areas across the province.
Tourism, culture, archaeology and museums secretary Saadat Hassan, Director General of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Culture and Tourism Authority Shahid Khan, Director (Admin & Finance) Shehryar Mahmood and other officials were also present.
Malik Adeel says govt committed to completing tourism-related projects on priority
Secretary Hassan said that millions of people visited different tourist destinations in the province every year.
He said the data was collected through the Tourism Helpline 1422 data centre using various sources.
Mr Hassan also said awareness messages regarding road closures, fuel availability, weather conditions and other important updates were regularly shared with tourists through social media platforms during morning and evening hours.
He said that several tourism-related authorities and projects were functioning under the Department of Tourism, Culture, Archaeology and Museums, including the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Culture and Tourism Authority, Galiyat Development Authority, Kaghan Development Authority, Upper Swat Development Authority, Kalash Valleys Development Authority, Kumrat Development Authority, the Directorate of Archaeology and Museums, and the Kite Project.
The meeting was also informed about the Integrated Tourism Zones project, which is considered a unique initiative for tourism development in the province.
Officials said recently, the Thandiani Integrated Tourism Zone was leased to the private sector for 50 years under a public-private partnership model.
They also said work was under way to lease the Mankiyal Swat, Ghanool Mansehra and Madaklasht Chitral Integrated Tourism Zones to the private sector.
The officials added that those tourism zones were meant to provide tourists with all modern facilities at one location.
Special assistant Iqbal reiterated the government’s commitment to promoting tourism and completing tourism-related projects on a priority basis.
He appreciated the performance of the Tourism Police and said that tourist influx significantly increases during Eid days and said the Tourism Police and all tourism authorities must ensure effective arrangements so visitors do not face any inconvenience. Mr Iqbal later distributed motorcycles among Tourism Police personnel to improve tourism-related services and security across tourist destinations in the province.
Published in Dawn, May 26th, 2026