Tag: Tourism

  • Khunjerab Pass reopens to boost bilateral trade between Pakistan and China

    Khunjerab Pass reopens to boost bilateral trade between Pakistan and China

    In a press release issued by the PM Office Media Wing, Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif expressed his pleasure over the reopening of the Khunjerab Pass on Sunday. He stated that this development would help to increase bilateral trade between Pakistan and China, and described it as a welcome occasion for boosting trade with “Iron brother China.”

    The prime minister emphasised that the reopening of the Pass had removed a hurdle that would further expedite the pace of work on the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). He added that the restoration of the trade route between the two countries, after a span of three years, was a matter of great rejoicing.

    Furthermore, the prime minister noted that the journey towards CPEC had started way back in November 2019 and recommenced in the year 2023. He expressed his resolve to move ahead on CPEC with dual speed in comparison to 2018.

    He said that CPEC is a gift of progress and prosperity given by Muhammad Nawaz Sharif and the Chinese leadership for the region and the people. The prime minister also mentioned the affection and cooperation from the Chinese leadership for the people of Pakistan, which he described as unforgettable.

    The prime minister expressed his disappointment over a “foreign funded person” who had created controversy over CPEC. However, he appreciated the relevant authorities of the two countries and the team members over the restoration of trade and travel facilities.

  • Azad Jammu and Kashmir gets its first-ever commercial airline

    Azad Jammu and Kashmir gets its first-ever commercial airline

    In an attempt to promote tourism in the area, President Dr Arif Alvi has announced commercial helicopter flying operations of Kashmir Air in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).

    The president stated that AJK is gifted with enormous natural beauty and tourist potential and that the business sector should step forward to enhance AJK’s tourism industry in order to realise its full potential. The president was speaking at the inauguration ceremony for Kashmir Air on Tuesday in Bagh.

    According to Samaa, a private firm called Kashmir Air will launch regular commercial helicopter flights to the AJK and other parts of northern Pakistan to transport visitors.

    The president spent a full day in AJK, where he opened the helicopter flight service, paid a visit to the flagship facility of a healthcare IT business in Bagh, inaugurated a high-end private school, and learned about plans to build a hospital in Abbaspur.

    Along with developing tourism-friendly regulations to encourage private-sector investment, President Alvi asked the AJK government to promote environmentally responsible and sustainable tourism.

    He stated that tourism was now a major industry in many developing nations and was seen as a key driver of foreign exchange earnings, employment creation, and the elimination of economic inequalities.

    The president claimed that the UN had failed to settle the Jammu and Kashmir conflict in a manner that satisfied the demands of the Kashmiri people.

    He claimed that the UN resolutions serve as the foundation for the people of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir’s (IIOJK) resistance. He said that although the UN was established to prevent conflicts and wars, since its founding it has mostly served to advance the interests of western nations.

    “Genocide Watch has warned that Muslims and other minorities in India are insecure but nobody is coming forwards to listen to the minorities and Muslims of India who are under constant threat,” the president added.

    He reaffirmed Pakistan’s desire to resolve all of its disputes, including Jammu and Kashmir, through dialogue. Pakistan desires a peaceful resolution to the IIOJK, but the president has cautioned India not to see Pakistan’s peace efforts as a sign of weakness.

    He claimed that the IIOJK people had made immeasurable sacrifices and that Pakistan will continue to stand with them morally, politically, and diplomatically until they were granted the right to self-determination in accordance with UN resolutions.

  • Saudi Arabia unveils plans for AI-powered 160-km-long ‘skyscraper megacity’

    Saudi Arabia unveils plans for AI-powered 160-km-long ‘skyscraper megacity’

    The centerpiece of the futuristic Neom site near the Gulf of Aqaba, the development’s extraordinary ambition was further revealed this week when Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom’s crown prince, outlined key components of what he intends to be one of the most ambitious urban developments ever constructed.

    Since it was first unveiled in 2017, Neom has drawn attention for its futuristic features, like flying taxis and robot maids, even as economists and architects have questioned its viability.

    The 500-meter-high, 200-meter-wide building, a car-free, carbon-neutral bubble that will claim nearly 100 per cent sustainability and a moderate, controlled microclimate, will use artificial intelligence at its core, according to the Saudis.

    Environmentalists have expressed scepticism in the past about the kingdom’s environmental commitments, such as a promise to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2060.

    What had previously been an idea that even some of the project’s planners had difficulty visualising has now been given colour through multimedia presentations. The slickly rendered videos depict a megacity with hanging gardens that somewhat mimic the Death Star.

    In addition to having access to other benefits like outdoor skiing facilities and a “high-speed train with an end-to-end travel of 20 minutes,” residents will be able to access “all everyday requirements” within a five-minute walk.

    Saudi officials claim they have no plans to lift the nation’s prohibition on alcohol, despite the fact that Neom will function under its own foundation statute, which is currently being created.

    Prince Mohammed’s efforts to change the kingdom from an oil-dependent economy and conservative society that he believes are unfit to propel the Kingdom forward are centred on his vision for modern living.

    According to Prince Mohammed, the project’s “first phase” would cost 1.2 trillion Saudi riyals, or roughly £265 billion. It would last until 2030. He noted that in addition to government grants, other potential funding sources included the private sector and Neom’s anticipated IPO in 2024.

    He said that Neom may create up to 380,000 jobs in the face of a growing population and a sizable proportion of young people looking for work.

    According to Saudi estimates, the kingdom’s population might reach 50 million by 2030, with more than half of them being foreigners. The present population of Saudi Arabia is little about 35 million.

  • Naran: One tourist allegedly murdered, others looted in robbery incident

    Naran: One tourist allegedly murdered, others looted in robbery incident

    A 74-year-old man was murdered in an alleged incident of robbery near Naran. The incident took place on July 24. A group of four people were staying in a camp near Saral Pass, which is a few kilometres away from Noori Top.

    A Facebook user named Faizan Sami posted about the incident in a group, The Karakoram Club.

    “I Faizan Sami, Asfandyar, Mudassir and uncle ( father in law of Mudassir) left for Ratti Gali from basil trek via saral pass,” the user wrote in a Facebook post.

    “Reached Saral pass about 6.30 pm on Sunday 24th of July 2022. we unpacked and set our camp over there. We had four local porters with horses. After dinner and relaxing we off to bed. We were sleeping in our tent at about 11.20 o clock and heard voices coming out. My uncle sat and asked them who it hearing this they start firing. uncle got shot we all started screaming. And came out they beat us with our hiking sticks. We were made to stand in a row outside,” added Faizan while narrating the horrific incident.

    Read more– Woman escapes rape attempt in Swat

    “They asked for money and other stuff. we told them it was in the bags two of them went inside the tent while one was guarding us. When they saw the dead body one of them came out and told the other one they all started moving towards the tent. We slowly moved towards the downside and then started running. And hid in stones, after 15 minutes one of our porters come shouting our names. We then showed up and the porter told us that they too were looted. We then went to the tent they took all the bags one bag with money and the drone camera was under my jacket so it was left. They took almost 70,000. We covered the dead body in a tent, packed it well and went outside in search of help. After 3 hours of trekking, we reached a village on Noori’s top side. Anar Gul named person helped us a lot. He sends men along with one porter to bring dead bodies. we stayed there till morning. He sends men after the police and jeep.”

    Talking to The Current, Faizan Sami said they heard noises around 11:15pm. His uncle shouted from the camp and asked, “Who are you?”

    After hearing the noise, the robbers resorted to aerial fire which resulted in the death of the 74-year-old man named Raja Muhammad Azam.

    The robbers made them sit 50 feet away from the camp. They asked them how many people were in the camp, and were told that they were a group of four people. Two of the robbers then went inside the camp to look for the fourth person and money.

    “When they went inside the camp, they panicked after looking at the dead body and they called their fellow robber inside the camp,” Faizan told The Current.

    After all of the robbers went inside, they took the opportunity to run away and they went “300 to 400 feet” away from the place to hide from them.

    When they came back after a while after the robbers had left, they saw the dead body lying there. They left the dead body behind and went to ask for help to bring the dead body to a nearby village.

    The FIR, a copy of which is available with The Current, was filed on July 25 in Naran. The police are still investigating the case.

  • Dubai retains its position as top FDI tourism destination in the world

    Dubai retains its position as top FDI tourism destination in the world

    Dubai has continued to lead the world in luring foreign direct investment (FDI) into the tourism industry in 2021.

    The emirate attracted Dh6.4 billion ($1.7 billion) in foreign direct investment (FDI) over 30 projects in the last year, placing it at the top of the list for FDI capital, projects, and job creation in the tourism sector, according to The Financial Times’ FDI Markets data.

    The Dubai FDI Monitor report, released by the Dubai Investment Development Agency, states that these new projects and investments resulted in the creation of 5,545 new jobs over the course of the year.

    “Dubai’s rank as the top FDI destination for tourism is a testament to the sector’s resilience and stability. It reaffirms the sector’s role as a key economic driver that offers international investors confidence and an exceptional opportunity for stable and sustainable returns,” Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, said on Twitter.

    As the city strives to become the most popular travel destination in the world, Dubai attracted more than 7.28 million foreign overnight visitors in 2021, an increase of 32% from the previous year.

    The goal of Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism, which will be created with the merger of the tourism and economy departments, is to attract 25 million visitors to the city by the year 2025.

    To streamline government organisations, keep up with quick changes, and maintain Dubai’s business and tourism sectors’ competitiveness, the merger was achieved.

    “The newly-formed department seeks to support the economic and tourism transformations taking place in the emirate. It will adopt the same competitiveness and efficiency of the private sector and work together with it on various development projects,” said Sheikh Hamdan.

    In spite of the inflationary environment, business activity in the private sector grew steadily in June, expanding at the quickest rate in three years.

    Its highest reading since June 2019, the headline seasonally adjusted S&P Global Dubai Purchasing Managers’ Index increased to 56.1 in June from 55.7 in May.

    The main engine of growth in the emirate continued to be the travel and tourism industry.

    As travel restrictions around the world continued to loosen, businesses in Dubai, the commercial and touristic centre of the Middle East, reported a noticeable increase in tourism-related business activity. This solidified Dubai’s position as a major travel hub.

    Prior to that, Dubai became the first Middle Eastern location to receive the coveted Michelin star, further solidifying its position as a top culinary and travel destination. Eleven restaurants in total received awards for outstanding dining.

  • A maximum of 8,000 vehicles will be permitted to enter Murree on Eid-ul-Azha

    A maximum of 8,000 vehicles will be permitted to enter Murree on Eid-ul-Azha

    On Eid-ul-Azha, the City Traffic Police (CTP) of Rawalpindi will send out 360 Wardens and Traffic officers as part of a special traffic plan devised for Murree.

    Naveed Irshad, the Chief Traffic Officer (CTO) for Rawalpindi, stated that the CTP had completed all preparatory work in addition to establishing a control room to assist tourists and keep an eye on the traffic situation in Murree.

    He claimed that the Rawalpindi Traffic Police were making every effort to assist the tourists, adding that special traffic arrangements had been made with regard to their security.

    He added that traffic wardens had been instructed to work diligently and resolutely to maintain traffic flow so that traffic jams, particularly on congested roads, could be avoided and the citizens could receive relief, and that CTP would make use of all available resources to guarantee smooth traffic flow in Murree.

    According to the CTO, Murree has a 3,500 vehicle parking capacity, and according to district administration guidelines, a maximum of 8,000 vehicles are permitted entry.

    At Murree’s entry and exit points, specialised counting and checking pickets would also be placed, he added.

    He added that traffic wardens had been instructed to impound motorcycles and one-wheelers in relevant police stations. He said one-wheelers and drifters would be handled  strictly, and those who violate the law would be sent to prison.

  • IN PICTURES: Hassan Ali’s dreamy vacation with family

    IN PICTURES: Hassan Ali’s dreamy vacation with family

    Pakistani cricketer Hassan Ali is currently on vacation with his wife Samiya and their daughter Helena.

    The all-rounder has lately been sharing pictures of his trip to Gilgit-Baltistan.

    Have a look at the pictures from Hassan Ali’s dreamy vacation.

    Sharing a picture with his wife, Hassan wrote: “There is never a dull moment when Samiya Khan is around me.”

  • Khan’s ex-bestie now Shehbaz’s advisor on tourism

    Khan’s ex-bestie now Shehbaz’s advisor on tourism

    A key member of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Jahangir Khan Tareen (JKT) Group, Awn Chaudhry has been appointed as an adviser on sports and tourism to Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif.

    President Arif Alvi approved the appointment of Chaudhry on the advice of PM Shehbaz.

    It has been reported that the newly-elected Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Hamza Shehbaz has also decided to accommodate the JKT group in the provincial cabinet.

    CM Hamza recently met with Jahangir Tareen, who is back in Lahore from London. Tareen congratulated Hamza Shahbaz on being elected as CM.

  • Construction work for Swat Motorway Phase-II to begin next week

    Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Mahmood Khan will lay the foundation stone for Swat Motorway Phase-II in the next week.

    The CM instructed that development on the Dir Motorway project’s PC 1 for land acquisition be quickened so that practical work on the project can proceed.

    He was presiding over a meeting of the Pakhtunkhwa Highways Authority to discuss the status of various road projects, including the Swat Motorway Phase II and the Dir Motorway.

    The meeting was informed on the status of Swat Motorway Phase II, which will be 88 km long and will be built at a cost of Rs58 billion and will run from Chakdara to Fatehpur. It was also revealed that a contractor deal for the project’s construction had been inked.

    It was revealed that Rs6.7 billion had been allocated for the project’s land acquisition. In addition, section four was implemented for the purchase of land.

    Project Plan

    Swat motorway will have four lanes at first and will be expanded to six lanes later. Chakdara Interchange, Shamozai Interchange, Barikot Interchange, Mingora Interchange, Kanju Interchange, Malam Jabba-University of Swat Interchange, Sher Palam Interchange, Matta Khawazakhela Interchange, and Madin-Fatehpur Interchange would be among the nine interchanges.

    On the Swat River, a total of eight bridges will be built. The project also includes the construction of four rest spots in various places, as well as the construction of connection highways if required.

    PHA officials briefed the meeting on Dir Motorway that an Expression of Interest for a 30 km long Dir Motorway from Chakdara to Rabat had been floated. Three interchanges, four flyovers, 24 bridges, two underpasses, and two tunnels will be part of this road project.

    These developments, according to the Chief Minister, would help boost tourism, trade, and economic operations, making them a “milestone” for the long-term growth of the Malakand division. These initiatives will also provide employment chances for locals in addition to improving transportation facilities.

  • Twitter calls out Scottish vlogger for ‘celebrating the misery of a poor brown person’

    Twitter calls out Scottish vlogger for ‘celebrating the misery of a poor brown person’

    YouTube vlogger from Scotland, Dale Philip, recently visited Karachi’s Seaview beach. As per Philip, he was ‘cheated’ by horsemen there. Darakhshan police detained the horseman, and a picture of one of the horsemen was shared by Philip on his Twitter.

    “He tried to earn a living by cheating people, but now he’s living behind metal bars thanks to Karachi Police. Hopefully, he learns there’s no need to cheat foreign tourists. Most will give extra payment if they were shown a good experience and treated in an honest way,” he wrote while sharing the picture.

    Philip made a YouTube vlog on how he was “scammed”. The summary of the scam, as per Philip, was that the horsemen asked him to pay Rs 5,000 for a ride after agreeing to the ride for only Rs 200.

    “It was very quiet, with it being a Friday. As soon as I entered the beach, two guys on horses sprinted towards me. I had planned on taking a horse or camel ride at some point so I negotiated a price of 200 rupees with one of them for a ride to the Chunky Monkey amusement park. He didn’t take me to Chunky Monkey, though. He took me down to the water and then handed me off to another guy on a horse. I felt like I was getting scammed in some way. Maybe they were going to ask for double the money because the second guy was taking me for a second ride or something. He was taking me towards Chunky Monkey, which is where I wanted to go though. As I rode with this guy, I tried to reconfirm the price with him, so there would be no disputes afterwards. He made it clear that 200 was for, what he called ‘one ride’, and that I’d have to pay for multiple rides. I immediately asked him to stop and said I’d walk the remaining distance but he refused to stop. Not only would he not let me get off the horse but did a u-turn and took me back to where I started the ride. I was screaming at him telling him that was not the way I wanted to go but he made the excuse that if he takes the horse back himself without a rider that the two horses would fight. After finally getting off the horse, the two scammers asked me for Rs5,000. As if I was just going to give them 25 times the price that we had agreed. How stupid did they think I was.”

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NtyhnS13lGw

    People on social media are not happy with Dale Philip’s tweet and video.

    https://twitter.com/AlSafwa__/status/1505814031453536256