Safari helicopter service for tourists starts in Chitral

PESHAWAR: Arrangements for a helicopter safari service for domestic and foreign tourists in Chitral have been completed and approval has been given for its launch ahead of the three-day Shandur Polo Festival in Upper Chitral, which is set to start on June 28.

In the light of the instructions of the Advisor to the Chief Minister for Tourism and Culture Zahid Chanzeb, Director General Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Culture and Tourism Authority (KPCTA) Barkatullah Marwat signed an MoU with Petronet Aviation Authority during a ceremony at his office in Peshawar on Wednesday, said a handout.

According to the announcement of Zahid Chanzeb, the helicopter service for tourists has been officially launched, which he had decided before the budget meeting. Before the announcement, he contacted Chief Minister Sardar Ali Amin Gandapur and took him into confidence while the chief minister appreciated the initiative and assured his cooperation. At the MoU signing ceremony, Director General KPCTA Barkatullah Marwat clarified that the helicopter service was being started for the convenience of tourists in view of the Shandur Polo Festival. As per the agreement, tourists will benefit from this service considerably and tourism will flourish in Chitral.

He said that four packages of the safari helicopter tourism service had been designed. The first package includes a flight and aerial tour over Chitral Airport, Kalash Valley and Lowari Tunnel. The package-II includes an aerial tour from Chitral Airport and trip to Tirich Mir Peak. The third package will include a tour of Chitral Airport, Tirich Mir Peak, and the sprawling Qaqlasht Meadows, while package four includes a tour from Chitral Airport to Shandur Polo Festival.

Earlier, Secretary Tourism Mohammad Bakhtiar Khan had also completed preliminary preparations on an emergency basis during meetings and contacts with the Civil Aviation Authority and other authorities under the instructions of the tourism adviser.