THE Malakand region of the North West Frontier Province, blessed with natural beauty, has immense potential for tourism which can contribute substantially to the national exchequer, besides eliminating backwardness and poverty from the area.

The area, a mountainous region, is a hub of natural resources, scenic beauties, stunning landscapes, snow-capped mountains, fertile fields and sprinkle in mountains. The area enjoys a rich historic legacy and has many places of tourists' interest.

Most part of this region with lush green hills and fields give an attractive look to the area. These beautiful sights can be watched even from the main approach roads. Most of the hills in the region remain under snow for two to three months while the mountain tops are covered with snow for most part of the year. There are many explored and unexplored venues, where alpine lakes of different shapes, sizes and depths are located.

These lakes not only serve as reservoir for the communities living there, but are also important from tourism point of view. These lakes are a source of un-forgettable memories for those tourists who can visit them on foot. These sites are ideal for camping in the wilderness of mountainous landscape. Some of the prominent lakes are Kandolo Lake, Saidgai Lake, Daral Lake, Bishegram Lake and Mahodand.

The fine climate in the hot summer months (June to October) is another major advantage for the tourism industry in this region. The winter is harsh but the snowfall on mountains is an attractive event for tourists.

Wahab Khan, Chairman of the Environmental Protection Society (EPS), a Swat-based NGO that is working on a three-year strategy for tourism development in the region, counts variety of local art, crafts, woodwork and embroidery products, stupas, caves and museum as other potentials for promotion of tourism.

He says majority of tourists arrive by vehicles, but most of the areas of this mountainous region are offering ideal sites for eco-tourists who can travel on foot to valleys and mountains to enjoy natural and cultural beauties of the region.

The area also has vast potential for various adventure-oriented sporting events like water sports in the form of rafting in the gushing river above Madyan in Swat district. Fishing in these waters is another sport which can be developed further to attract tourists.

Moreover, rock, ice and snow climbing are other sports which can be developed with public-private partnership at suitable locations. Beside the existing skiing resort of Malam Jabba, many other potential areas can be developed for attracting tourists. Some of the valleys have the potential for paragliding. This sport can attract a large number of tourists from within and outside the country.

In short, the region has potentials that are essential for an ideal tourism industry of international standards, but even then so far such gifted resources have not been exploited for greater economic benefits.

It is an established fact that a vibrant tourism industry needs an infrastructure that can facilitate not only domestic but also foreign tourists and the government has an important role to play in this regard.

Though, the government considers tourism as one of the priority areas for development, no visible change has been witnessed during the last 60 years on ground, says Asfandyar Amirzeb, former district Nazim of Swat.

The present NWFP government regards tourism as one of the major driving engines for economic growth of the province, and any development strategy is not discussed without mentioning the potential of tourism in this province. However, the priority of the government in terms of budgetary allocations reflects entirely a dismal picture, as in the current fiscal year 2006-07 hardly Rs102 million out of the Rs26 billion worth Annual Development Programme (ADP) has been allocated for this vital sector. This is just 0.4 per cent of the total ADP size.

A senior official at the Sarhad Tourism Corporation (STC) says tourism development is not a priority area for the government although tall claims are being made by the ruling alliance.

“Even though, the government is claiming to have made allocation of Rs102 million for the tourism sector, actual tourism development related activities in NWFP is approved annually with a little outlay not exceeding Rs50 million," the official explains.

Moreover, inadequate staff members, absence of field formation, lack of training for improving professional skills, absence of technical wing for construction and repair of the existing facilities are other impediments the STC is currently faced with.

Situation at the federal government level is no different and it can be measured from the fact that tourism ministry is celebrating 2007 as ‘Visit-Pakistan’ to promote tourism, but unfortunately not a single promotional event has been organised in the Malakand region.

Tourism industry also needs a proper road networks for making the access of tourists to the desired destinations safe and convenient. However, in the Malakand region, this important sector is badly ignored by the government.

“Malakand road offers access to all localities in Swat and Dir (upper & lower). However, its condition is deteriorating gradually which discourages tourists," from visiting this area, Mr Khan said.

Ashaq Ahmad Khan, the chief technical advisor to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), considers lack of safety against the loss of life, property and even minimum protection against social abuses, as major factors contributing towards people’s reluctance to visit this scenic area of the region.

The Malakand region, in his views, has the potential to attract not only domestic but also foreign tourists, if the government and stakeholders adopt a pragmatic approach. Revamping the tourist information centres established by the government and availability of adequate information on the potential areas of the region on internet, hotels, airports, railway stations and bus stands can help put things on the right direction.

Moreover, accessibility to sites of interest at affordable costs, peace in the region, a flexible society that tolerates people from different cultures, faiths and religions and putting in place a strong regulatory mechanism is essential for a vibrant tourism industry in the Malakand region.