Work on tourism projects in Malam Jabba to resume soon

PESHAWAR: The Tourism, Sports, Archeology, Museums and Youth Affairs Department will resume work on tourism-related projects in Malam Jabba in Swat district soon after the snowfall season in the area.
An official statement on Sunday said that the work was temporarily suspended on the skiing track, hotel and chairlift projects due to massive snowfall in the tourist spots in Swat.It said the department had initiated a number of projects to restore the natural beauty of scenic Swat valley and attract the local and foreign tourists to the “mini-Switzerland of Pakistan.”
The department, it added, planned to construct three state-of-the-art picnic spots in Malam Jabba, which will have a 90-room hotel, skiing track and an international standard chairlift, parks, mosque, and rest areas, rain shelters, public washrooms, tea, coffee and tuck shops.
The Tourism Department and the Board of Investment and Trade (BoIT) have jointly advertised the pre-qualification of interested parties for installation of chairlift and construction of a hotel at the site of Malam Jabba.
In response to the advertisement, it said seven private sector parties had submitted their expressions of interest (EOIs) for obtaining the project and subsequently the projects were awarded to the highest bidder.
Formal work for the acquisition of land at the designated sites and subsequent implementation of the projects was already in hand but suspended due to massive snowfall in the tourist resort Malam Jabba.
The six identified sites from Manglore to Malam Jabba include Sair village, two each spots at Khamba and Spinay villages and one at Qilla Pattay. The projects will not only boost tourism activities but also enhance revenue of the local communities and create employment opportunities in Swat.