Due to the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, the tourism industry seems to have the worst hit since World War II. As per the official data, the number of coronavirus cases in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa is in the twenties, the tourists need to wait until the COVID-19 gets settled in the country.
As per a rough estimate, Swat valley has more than 400 hotels that employ over 23,000 workers and was generating a profit of Rs. 0.6 million on a monthly basis. Domestic travelers in the country are forced to stay at their home, hotel owners had no choice but to shutter the hotels.
President of the Hotel Association in Swat Zahid Khan said, “Swat always has visitors from all over Pakistan. But over the past few days, we have not seen any visitors the streets are empty.” “Not everyone in Swat owns a hotel. Much of the population makes a living by providing services to hotels that dot the valley.” He added.
“Our fight against terrorism had a known enemy. Coronavirus is an invisible enemy,” he remarked.
In addition, K-P has also lost its hopes of making the most of the upcoming religious tourism event in the province due to the outbreak of coronavirus pandemic.