One million tourists expected to visit Walled City this year

LAHORE

The Walled City of Lahore Authority (WCLA) is aiming a massive influx of over one million local tourists at the heritage sites inside the walled city of Lahore during the year 2016. 

Officials said during 2015 the tourism influx was almost 300,000 people inside the walled city excluding the Lahore Fort. These tourists had visited the Royal Trail and other parts of the walled city of Lahore. They said in 2016, the WCLA planed to increase the number of Rangeela Rickshaws to attract more tourists. 

At present there are ten rickshaws which do not meet the public demand as it is increasing day by day. In a month’s time, ten more rickshaws will be added to the lot, said Asif Zaheer, Director Marketing WCLA. He said Tonga tourism for walled city by night would also be increased. Presently, there are only five Tongas which are being run in collaboration with the Adil Lahori Cultural Club. These will also be increased to ten, he maintained. 

Another attraction in the year 2016 will be night tourism activities at Royal Trail starting from Delhi Gate and ending at the Fort Road Food Street, which will be started soon. For this purpose, more buildings will be illuminated and street performers will be housed permanently at different locations, said Tanya Qureshi adding the authority had also planned to introduce Tourists’ Bicycles in the year 2016. 

Along with the abovementioned facilities, the authority will also establish a few restaurants in the Shahi Hammam, Sabeel Wali Gali and other places which will give the tourists a new taste of local cuisine while they walk in the city. Special guided tours for shrines, Mosques and Havelis will also be started in the year 2016. 

Tanya Qureshi further said tourism was an important aspect to save the heritage. When locals see people coming inside the walled city to look at their houses and streets they get a sense of ownership for the area. This had been missing for almost three years ago. It took us several hardships in convincing the people to open their Havelis for the public at large and I was glad that now they were very welcoming and hospitable. 

Asif Zaheer added that we had a lot of demand for night tourism and guided tours for the Havelis and Mosques. We are launching these very soon in 2016. Tourism has picked up in the walled city as it was previously limited to the Lahore Fort and Badshahi Mosque. People had no idea of the streets and bazaars of the walled city. 

Director General WCLA Kamran Lashari said tourism of streets and bazaars and Havelis was a new concept and to my surprise people appreciated it. “I am grateful to the residents of the walled city who have welcomed us and also the tourists and let them enter in their house,” he said. Lashari concluded that we had trained almost 30 young male and female tourist guides who guided the tourists. Also for the promotion of the tourism, the guided tours have been made free of cost.