Tourism Force launched in KP

Police to be deployed in Hill Stations of Swat, Chitral, Abbotabad and Mansehra to facilitate tourists

The provincial government has launched a tourism police force to facilitate tourists visiting the hill stations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).

This is the first time the province has received a ‘tourism force’, which would be deployed in the scenic areas of Swat, Chitral, Abbottabad and Mansehra.

The initiative aims to provide better security and services to the travellers and tourists visiting the KP region. Speaking at the launching ceremony, the officials concerned said that the provincial government had earlier approved the establishment of Tourism Police under the directives of Mahmood Khan, the Chief Minister of KP.

The official speaking to the public said that the personnel of tourism police would exhibit exemplary character and manners while helping and dealing with the tourists visiting across KP.

Speaking to Bol News, the government official said that the newly young police recruits were the symbol of a ‘positive image’ of the province which would better facilitate and serve the foreigners as well as domestic tourists in the KP region.

He further said that he had high hopes from the tourism police. “The tourism police will have to establish their mark on the list of forces famous for exemplary services like Rescue 1122 to the people in testing times.”

He lauded about the structure of police and said that the district level officers of the Tourism Police were hired from the KP Police Department on deputation basis whereas constables and other officials were recruited on an initial basis.

Commandant Gul Said Afridi lauded the zest and zeal of new recruits and urged them to gird up for an outstanding job to set an exalted example of ‘courage, service and sacrifice’ for the other provinces and tourists from other countries.

He also said that more training would be imparted to the tourism police after the tourism season to enhance their capacity and equip them with latest skills to better serve the tourists and visitors at the scenic attractions of the province.

The new tourism police will function as a special wing of the KP Culture and Tourism Authority (KPCTA).

There are around 182 out of 200 recruits from various districts provided tourism police uniform and shoes, who will undergo training sessions.

The government provided all the necessary equipment including motorcycles, pick-up vehicles, communication gears, and pistols to the police personnel.

Bilal Hameed currently manages The Karakoram Club, a social media platform that promotes tourism in the country.  He told Bol News that tourism is one of the fastest growing sectors and has the potential to play a pivotal role in Pakistan’s economy.

He shed light over ‘safe tourism’ across the world and said that apart from other facilities and attractions, safety and security is of paramount importance for any traveller before deciding their destination.

The tourism promoter further said that countries with developed tourism industries have enforced rules of governance to facilitate travellers by introducing special departments and tourist centres to enhance their travel experience.

Talking about the current situation in the country, he stated that the Government of Pakistan along with all the relevant stakeholders needs to work together and promote a soft image of Pakistan across the globe.

He further suggested that serious efforts need to be made to promote ‘Brand Pakistan’ abroad which should ‘nullify’ the negative narrative that is unfortunately built around our country over the past many years. He remarked that Pakistan is a beautiful country with a lot of different landscaped vistas to offer ranging from tall grand mountains to pristine scenic beaches. The tourism promoter lauded that there are many interesting destinations across Pakistan and particularly in KP, which need to be developed appropriately keeping the international tourism service standard as benchmark.

The tourism advocate expresses the efforts of the KP government and said that the decision of forming a dedicated tourism police service is a step in the right direction, which should have been done years ago.

He explained that with this service, it is expected that previously hesitant tourists will now feel more confident in visiting Pakistan and be able to experience the unexplored beauty of KP.

The manager of the Karakoram Club hoped that safety and security is an important factor in the decision making when tourists are planning their travels abroad, and this intuition will help foreign tourists to rush to the scenic palaces of KP.

The tourism specialist said that the provincial and federal governments should make additional efforts through an effective tourism policy that will ensure safety and security of both the domestic and foreign tourists.

He concluded with the view that if the government ‘put in more effort’, this will give impetus to ‘healthy’ tourism in the country which in turn will boost the country’s economy going forward.

Pakistan has gained popularity, when an international travel magazine marked the country as one of the top tourist destinations in the world.

The KP is the one, which is contributing to the tourism sector more than any other province in Pakistan The province is blessed with breathtaking beauty, mesmerising crystal-clear blue lakes, pristine valleys, natural forests and historical landmarks and Gandhara civilisation.

Asmar Hussain, a traveller and photographer, told Bol News that due to the extreme heat across the country, tourism enthusiasts are flocking to KP and Gilgit-Baltistan but are facing various problems due to insufficient information.

Speaking about the incident, he said that recently, there are many incidents reported in the various tourist destinations, but due to lack of resources and lack of timely response, the damage gets serious and lives are lost.

The award-winning photographer said that launching tourism police is a very good and much needed initiative for the rural tourist destination but there should be more responsibility on the people, who are travelling to any tourist destination.

He shed light over the precautions to avoid any trouble during tourism sharing that it is very important for tourists to get the basic information about a place before going to any tourist destination.

The Sony ambassador in KP spoke about how to obtain information and said that the tourists can contact the mobile app or the 24-hour active helpline 1422, where they are provided with authentic information. He cautioned that it is better for tourists to avoid travelling at night and safer to rely on local drivers instead of driving on mountain routes while gasoline pumps are not available at most tourist destinations, so the vehicle must have adequate fuel storage.

Travellers expressed that it is crucial to prohibit children and women from approaching or diving near rivers, streams and lakes, because the water in these areas is colder, deeper than expected and the flow is quite fast.

“People’s lifestyles and customs are different in each area; taking pictures of local women and even taking pictures of children without permission should be avoided as it is considered a problem in rural areas,” Hussain concluded.

The writer is a freelance multimedia journalist based in Peshawar. He tweets @JawadYousufxai