Under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Muhammad Sohail Afridi, the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Committee approved the concession agreement for the Integrated Tourism Zone in Thandiani. This is the country’s first integrated tourism zone being established under a public-private partnership.

The project aims to transform Thandiani, a healthful destination, into a modern and sustainable eco-tourism hub through private investment. The project comprises four zones and three packages, designed to cater to the needs of tourists of all ages.

Under this plan, the three packages include 14 potential tourism projects, which feature three new hotels or condotels and a total of 263 hotel and resort keys.

Additionally, the project includes service apartments, recreational areas, shopping malls, commercial complexes, amusement parks, welfare facilities, family service apartments, and parking facilities.

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It was shared in the meeting that work is ongoing on other integrated tourism zones: Gunool in Mansehra spanning 480 kanals, Mankial in Swat covering 754 kanals, and Madaklasht in Chitral over 540 kanals, with a total cost of PKR 12.3 billion.

During the meeting, officials from the Tourism Department and the PPP Unit briefed the Chief Minister and committee members in detail, noting that the project is expected to generate revenue of at least PKR 23 billion, with no upper limit set.

 The Thandiani Integrated Tourism Zone will cover 400 kanals and will be the fourth integrated tourism zone in the province.

The Chief Minister signed the concession agreement with the relevant private partner and directed practical progress on the project.

Chief Minister Sohail Afridi said the provincial government is working in line with Imran Khan’s vision to make tourism a foundation for economic stability.

 He added that integrated tourism zones are flagship projects for the tourism sector and must be completed following environmentally friendly principles. He instructed the relevant authorities to ensure timely and high-quality completion of the projects.