ISLAMABAD: Tourists avoided visiting Chitral on Eidul Azha 2002 mainly due to forecast of rainy weather and road closures.
This is in complete contrast to the influx of tourists to Chitral especially Kalash valleys during Eidul Fitr holidays in the first week of May when hotels in Chitral had witnessed about 100pc occupancy.
Thousands of vehicles laden with tourists from all parts of the country had poured into the scenic valley of Chitral during Eidul Fitr in the first week of May 2022, resulting in overcrowding at hotels and guest houses.
The influx continued despite heavy rainfall which had caused landslides and flooding in nullahs in the three districts.
According to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Culture and Tourism Authority, the hotel occupancy in different tourist areas of the province was as follows:
Naran 90 per cent, Kaghan, Shogran and Battakurdi 80pc, Balakot and Kalam valley 70pc, Bahrain 65pc, Nalam Haba and Madayn 60pc, Chitral Lower, Chitral Upper and Dir Upper one per cent.
Poor road conditions and hardship faced by thousands of tourists in Laspur valley of Upper Chitral after the conclusion of the Shandur polo festival on July 3 when the haggard road was blocked by glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) sent a very bad signal keeping people from visiting Chitral.
Despite making claims about promotion of tourism, the government has failed to develop basic infrastructure and provide facilities to tourists.
This is because of the auto-message that plays before phone dial, warning people against visiting the north. Places like Murree etc. were losing business, so they used this scare tactic to divert traffic back to those places.