Karachi: A futuristic project of the Gorakh Expressway on the pattern of the Murree expressway is a must of boost local tourism, as well, economy of Sindh.
Sindh province lack a standard hill station and a large number of local tourists visit different hills stations in Punjab, KpK and Balochistan in summer vacations.
However, the huge tourist revenue could be earned by the Sindh government if it develops the scenic hill station of Gorakh in Dadu district on international standards.
Tourism play a pivotal role in economy and other province of Pakistan, especially Punjab, are spending huge sums to develop different tourist attractions, especially hill stations.
Dozens of tourist operators work in Sindh, especially Karachi and they send hundreds of thousands of citizens of Sindh on different tourism packages to spend summer vacations in the cooler hilly area of the northern Pakistan. These tourists and many more, who visit these areas individually, could be easily lured to Gorakh if the government provides them better facilities.
Experts say that without upgrading the approach road to Gorakh to a bus-use road standard, tourists in a large number could not be attracted there. Presently, the road to Gorakh is a jeep-use road and tourists have to hire costly four-wheel drive vehicles to reach there. The high travel cost is a big barrier and a large number of middle and low income families could not visit this attractive hill station. However, if the better road like the Murree Expressway is built here, thousands of visitors would easily reach there every day.
Upgrading of the road, ensuring better water supply, provision of good hotels, motels and inns, besides installing chair-lifts could make Gorakh a big success.
If the Gorakh uplift projects are run in serious and professional manner and special development funds are approved by the provincial and federal governments to make Gorakh a world-class tourist resort, this hill station alone could raise the economy of Sindh to a great extent.
It may be noted that previous day, even Sindh governor Mohammad Zubair underscored the importance of Gorakh Hills, saying the government is giving special attention to promote tourism sector in the province.
Talking to the governor of Gilgit-Baltistan Mir Ghazanfar Ali Khan who called on him in the Governor House here Saturday, Mohammad Zubair said Gorakh in Dadu district is the main tourist attraction in Sindh. He said Gorakh is a cooler place, where temperature remains moderate even in the hot months of June and July.
He said the government is giving attention for uplift of tourist resorts and historical places. He said investment has been pouring into Sindh province after betterment of law and order, adding further steps are also being taken to attract even more investment.
Gilgit-Baltistan Mir Ghazanfar Ali Khan said that they are also taking steps to promote tourism in their province. He said Gilgit-Baltistan is mostly a hilly terrain and many projects are under way to ensure better roads and communication means there.