SWAT: In what seems to be a positive step to promote tourism industry in the country by the private sector, Samsons Group has reinstalled chairlift that was destroyed by terrorists at Malam Jabba’s Ski Resort.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Thursday inaugurated the landmark chairlift project on which 208 people can take a ride.
Addressing the inauguration ceremony, Samsons Group chief executive officer (CEO) Waseemur Rehman said, “With the reconstruction of the chairlift, we are intending to contribute towards the countries tourism industry and enhancing economic activities in this beautiful region of Swat.”
He said Malam Jabba Hotel and Resort is planned to be a landmark project conceived in the geographical and historical context of the region and would be the ultimate tourist destination at the foothills of Himalayas. “With the successful completion of this project, our group hopes to bring together people from various cultures and traditions, thus increasing global harmony and portraying a strong positive image of Pakistan across the world,” he added.
It is pertinent to mention here that the chairlift is about 640 metres long and has 103 cable carts that can carry around 206 people, thus doubling the capacity of the previous chairlift, which could only carry 104 people with 52 cable carts. The group is developing a five star hotel with 110 rooms featuring huge conference rooms, spa and fitness centre, banquet halls and variety of restaurants.
This resort shall offer a mix of summer and winter sports and recreational activities including skating, skiing, hiking, mini golf course, horse riding, archery, paragliding, zip line, snowboarding and many more. Skiing is a special sport around the world and despite being blessed with a natural landscape; Pakistan has no facility to offer on this count.
The resort was attacked and occupied by the militants in 2008 and later courageously got vacated by the Pakistan Army. However, in the process of clearance from the militants, both the resort and the cable chair facility were razed to the ground. The CEO on behalf of his group thanked and lauded Imran Khan for the achievements of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government in police, health, education, tourism and other sectors.
