The Tourism Corporation of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (TCKP) arranged a motorbike rally to mark the International Mountain Day. The riders braved rough terrain and freezing temperatures to head from Peshawar to the recently introduced tourist attraction Gabeen Jabba on Tuesday.

Gabin Jabba which means in Pashto honey marshes is located approximately 65km from Mingora on Matta-Sakhra Road in Swat. The area is known for green meadows, thick forests, snow-clad mountains, mineral springs, and high peaks. The tourists and bikers had started their journey from Peshawar and reached Takht-e-Bhai where they visited the Buddhist ruins on Friday.

During a stay at the Takht-e-Bhai Buddhist complex, the riders visited various sections of the complex and later left for Swat. Head of bikers’ Club 46 Mani Iftikhar led the caravan taken out to highlight the importance of mountains in the promotion of tourism. The bikers after visiting camping pods in Bashigram left for Gabeen Jabba, a new tourist destination in the Swat valley. The bikers stayed at Gabeen Jabba for some time and later returned to Swat Public School in Mingora to attend a function held in connection with the World Mountain Day.

TCKP General Manager (Admin & Properties) Sajjad Hameed welcoming the guests said that organizing the rally was meant to raise awareness about the importance of mountains in the promotion of tourism and clean environment. He said that TCKP has taken a number of steps for the promotion of tourism in the province. He said several new tourist places had been identified, which would be developed along modern lines to lure more tourist to KP. He said that there were over 6,000 archaeological, heritage and new tourist sites in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where the research was being carried out to revive these sites properly.

Other speakers urged the audience to avoid littering scenic and tourist spots when they visit these sites.