The Kalam Hotels Association, representing over 250 hotels in the picturesque valley of Kalam, Swat, has called for optic fibre connectivity to help boost investment and growth in the region, Business Recorder learnt on Friday.
Kalam, a popular tourist destination attracting visitors from worldwide, faces significant challenges due to limited internet connectivity, hindering its development, according to the association.
Currently, there is no reliable and high-speed internet connectivity in Kalam, impacting the ability to cater to tourists and locals alike, it said.
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The absence of internet services has resulted in limited online booking and reservation systems for hotels, lost revenue, and missed opportunities. The local community lacks access to essential online services like banking and healthcare, while students and researchers face restricted access to information and educational resources, the association explained.
Moreover, communication and coordination among local businesses, authorities, and emergency services are hampered, it added.
To address these challenges, the hotels association urged the government to make optic fibre connectivity available from Bahrain to Kalam, ensuring high-speed and reliable internet services.
It demanded internet connections for approximately 250-300 hotels, enabling them to provide WiFi facilities to tourists and locals.
Additionally, the association sought the establishment of internet infrastructure to support growing demands from new development projects in Kalam.
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Sadaf Khalid Khan, CEO of Walnut Travel & Tour Consultancy and Global Consultant Sustainable Tourism UN SDGs, speaking to Business Recorder, emphasised that providing internet services in Kalam could boost tourism, economic growth, and improve the overall quality of life for the local community.
“We believe that the provision of internet services in Kalam will not only boost tourism and economic growth but also improve the overall quality of life for the local community,” she said.
“We are willing to work closely with relevant stakeholders to ensure the successful implementation of this project.”
Zohaib Khan, Chairman of Pakistan Software Houses Association (P@sha), also stressed the importance of addressing the issue.
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“This is a very important issue to promote tourism and tech talent. There is also an issue of 4G connectivity in many tourist spots,” he said.
“It [Kalam] should have full fibre connectivity; these areas are full of talent. It helps tourism, IT education, and youth to work from Kalam and set up companies there, but tourism is very important. Without connectivity, who will come for tourism there? The online booking system is not there due to no-good connections,” Zohaib Khan said.