Salman Yousafzai
PESHAWAR: Despite the security challenges and recent incidents of terrorism in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the province remained a major attraction for domestic and foreign tourists.
According to the data released by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Culture and Tourism Authority, a total of 12.327 million domestic and 8,563 foreign tourists visited various tourist destinations in the province from January 1 to December 13, 2025.
According to the data, the highest number of domestic tourists reached Naran Kaghan, where the arrival of 3.699 million tourists was recorded, while the number of foreign tourists was only 17. Similarly, 3.043 million domestic and 278 foreign tourists visited Galiyat.
Swat Valley also maintained a prominent position in the field of tourism, where the arrival of 2.879 million domestic and 5,379 foreign tourists was recorded, which is the largest number of foreign tourists in the province.
Kalash Valley and Garm Chashma received 922,229 domestic and 2,193 foreign tourists, which is proof that cultural and religious tourism is also gaining attention at the global level.
In other areas, Boni Mastuj recorded 97336 domestic and 467 foreign tourists, while Kumrat Valley recorded 874,805 domestic and 229 foreign tourists.
According to tourism experts, this large number of tourists, despite the terrorist incidents, is a testament to the fact that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s natural beauty, improved security arrangements, tourism police and tourism facilities have restored public confidence.
The concerned authorities say that this data has been compiled with the cooperation of police check posts, levies check posts, tourism police and district administration.
According to experts, if the security situation remains stable, the number of foreign tourists is expected to increase significantly in the coming years, which will be a boon for the province’s economy and employment opportunities.
