Hotels in Naran, Kaghan and Shogran reopened with emphasis on SOPs

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Hotels in Naran, Kaghan and Shogran reopened with emphasis on SOPs compliance

Sirajuddin | Umar Bacha
26 Aug 2020

The Mansehra district administration had on Sunday sealed all hotels in Shogran, Naran and Kaghan after 47 Covid-19 cases were reported at private hotels. — Photo courtesy Kalbe Ali


The Mansehra district administration has reopened all hotels in tourist hotspots Naran, Kaghan and Shogran of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, officials said on Wednesday, three days after the properties were sealed following the emergence of several Covid-19 cases among staff.

The hotels were allowed to reopen after disinfecting their premises with chlorine spray and quarantining the staff members who tested positive for the coronavirus.

The decision to unseal the hotels was taken in view of large numbers of tourists heading to the tourist sites in the northern districts, Mansehra Additional Deputy Commissioner Maqbool Hussain.


“We have reopened all the hotels across the district, including of Shogran, Naran and Kaghan, and entry of tourists has been allowed," he said.
"We also strictly instructed the hotel managements to follow the SOPs set for Covid-19, failing which legal action will be taken against them.”
Hussain said the managements of five hotels who had broken the seals placed by the district administration had been booked. The hotels, however, have been allowed to remain open.

The Covid-19 patients at the hotels had been quarantined in self-isolation, he added.
Answering a question, he said the hotel managements would provide rooms after following the entire process to make sure the guests being allowed in are not symptomatic.
Hazara division Commissioner Riaz Mehsud also confirmed that all hotels sealed after the emergence of Covid-19 cases had been reopened.

"After three days, the hotels have been allowed to open," Mehsud said, adding that the properties were "properly disinfected and checked".
He said the flow of tourists to the area was high and the administration was trying to implement SOPs to control the spread of the virus. He added that tourists were cooperating with the authorities.

According to Mehsud, large-scale testing in tourists spots had been started, with nearly 33,000 tests having been conducted in Naran and Nathia Gali. He said all staffers of hotels in the area had been tested for the virus, while random testing of tourists was also being done.

"We have also issued special instructions and SOPs for hotels," he added, urging tourists to cooperate with the administration and follow the health guidelines.

On Sunday, the Mansehra district administration had sealed all hotels in Shogran, Naran and Kaghan after 47 Covid-19 cases were reported at private hotels located in the tourist destinations.

According to officials, 48 hotels, including 22 main businesses and their respective branches, had been sealed at the three tourist spots and the infected patients had been quarantined at the hotels.

Hotels in Naran, Kaghan and Shogran reopened with emphasis on SOPs compliance

Managements of five hotels who broke the seals placed by the district administration booked, says official.

www.dawn.com

 

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PM Imran constitutes National Coordination Committee on Tourism to boost sector


APP
26 Aug 2020

The committee also includes the chairman of the Evacuee Trust Property Board, the deputy governor of the State Bank of Pakistan and the managing director of the Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation.


Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday constituted the National Coordination Committee on Tourism (NCCT) to oversee implementation of the national tourism strategy aimed at boosting the sector, creating employment and reducing poverty.

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development Sayed Zulfiqar Abbas Bukhari has been appointed the convener of the committee.


The body includes the chairperson of the Evacuee Trust Property Board, the deputy governor of the State Bank of Pakistan and the managing director of the Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation.
It also includes the secretaries of several ministries including industry and production, interior, defence, communications, aviation, religious affairs and climate change as well as all the chief secretaries/additional chief secretaries.

The committee will act as a focal point for inter-provincial, inter-ministerial, inter-department and inter-agency coordination to resolve issues hindering the development of the sector.
A notification issued by the Prime Minister's Office stated that the committee had been constituted to facilitate and coordinate the government's commitment to "steer the country towards becoming the fastest growing tourism destination".

It will also seek to raise the competitiveness of the tourism industry and "maximise the utilisation of Pakistan's natural, cultural, historical, archaeological, religious and geographical tourist assets for employment creation, poverty reduction, sustained economic growth, social inclusion and quality of life improvement".
With the secretarial support of the Cabinet Division, the committee will review the integration of provincial and regional policies towards implementing the national tourism strategy.
The PM's aide will also brief the premier on a fortnightly basis about the overall implementation of his directives.
The committee has been tasked with carrying out geo-mapping of all tourist spots. The body will also identify policy and legislative gaps hindering the development of the sector and give recommendations for creating an enabling environment.
The committee will also devise an effective regulatory and implementation mechanism for national minimum standards while ensuring its monitoring and coordination with all stakeholders for strict compliance, the notification read.

The committee will devise and oversee a strategy to encourage affordable domestic tourism and identify viable options to ensure its growth.

Other areas of work include identifying and suggesting measures for promoting formal training for human resource development and issuing instructions to relevant ministries, departments and stakeholders for coordination.

 

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Trout Fishing in Kaghan valley.

Fishing in Kaghan is the kings of sports, Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout and Mahasher are stocked in the pure water of the Kunhur River. The Kunhar river trout is considered the best in South Asia.
The plethora of sights in this 160 KM-long valley is unbelievable: the Kunhar River, swollen by glacier melt, meanders its way through the valley, and is the perfect river for trout fishing.

Fishing site in the Kaghan Valley
Fishing is a must in the deep, cold & blue water of Kunhar in Naran where the river is at level with you. For trout fishing a fishing license is required which will be cheaply & easily granted to you from the Fishing Department and arranged by Explore Kaghan.

For More info and Booking visit:www.explorekaghan.pk