PESHAWAR: The Integrated Tourism Zones (ITZs) project is a milestone for the tourism sector as it will increase the inflow of tourists with the provision of all required facilities besides fetching huge investment to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
According to a press release, being a unique project, the ITZs is considered a new future for the tourism industry, which will make sure the provision of facilities to the domestic as well as foreign tourists at one spot in the province.
The provincial government has already finalized the masterplan and feasibility study for the establishment of four different ITZs. The tourist spots to be developed along international standards include Ghanol in Mansehra, Mankiyal in Swat, Madaklasht in Chitral and Thandiani in Abbottabad.
According to the plan, the Ghanol ITZ would be established on 480 Kanal of land while Mankiyal would be set up on 754 Kanal, Madaklasht on 540 Kanal whereas Thandiani ITZ would be established on 640 Kanal of land.
The major components of the ITZs project include: Roads, pathways, tracks, water supply, solid waste management, stable supply of electricity and infrastructure development. These ITZs are expected to create 16,000 direct and indirect job opportunities and attract investment worth USD 8 billion.
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government and the World Bank are jointly developing ITZs project using International Development Association (IDA) resources under Multi-Donor Trust Fund (MDTF).
The MDTF was established to support the crisis-hit areas of KP. The additional financing under WB will complement these activities by supporting the tourism sector.
The KP also aims to designate at least eight remote and unexplored scenic sites as new ITZs in order to ensure sustainable planning and development of tourism at these sites. The project will help KP explore this idea further by providing support on good practice policy and regulation for the ITZ concept and support for feasibility studies for up to two ITZs to support decision making on the introduction of this concept in KP.
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Culture and Tourism Authority (KPCTA) under the aegis of the Sports and Tourism Department recently showcased the ITZs, Water Sports Theme Park and other projects related to tourism in Dubai Expo 2020, which were well received by the investors.
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government, investors and international firms signed 44 Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) worth $8b to invest in the sector.
The organisers had showcased a number of projects to the investors in the Investment Conference in tourism and other sectors.
A detailed briefing was given on the ITZs feasibility reports conducted by the Malaysian firm under the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Integrated Tourism Development (KITE).
The display of tourism projects at Dubai Expo 2020 proved to be a launching pad for investment in the tourism sector.
The previous day, the KP government issued three letters of intent (LOIs) to a state-owned Kuwaiti entity to develop ITZs and undertake two other projects.
It joined hands with EnerTech Holding in a quest to boost tourism and promote new avenues of renewable energy, alternative fuel sources and achieve sustainable urban growth in the province.
The Kuwaiti company will invest $250 million in establishing two green hydrogen projects on run-of-the-river hydel plants of Pakhtunkhwa Energy Development Organization (PEDO) to produce green hydrogen and green ammonia. The proposed project sites include the 84 MW Matiltan Hydropower Project and the 69 MW Lawi Hydropower Project.
The company will also invest $750 million to build a Satellite and Smart City at Khanpur by taking into account a range of aspects relevant to well-being, including affordability, environmental and economic impacts. The project on completion is expected to bring huge investment and generate economic activities in the province.
The province has huge potential for the promotion of the tourism industry and the provincial government under a well-planned strategy develops the tourism sector as a full-fledged industry.
