By Jawad Ahmed ISLAMABAD, Feb. 22 (INP-WealthPK): In line with Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Vision Master Plan for promotion of tourism across the country, international flights have started operating from Skardu from Dec 2. Initially, the flights will operate under the Visual Flight Rules (VFR) [operations in nice and clear weather only], announced Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) in a tweet. Skardu is one of the most popular and attractive cities of Gilgit-Baltistan (GB). Though the state-run Pakistan International Airline (PIA) offered low-cost tickets for an almost 40-minute journey from Islamabad, delayed arrivals and departures would disenchant and discourage people, especially the locals preferring shorter stays, to opt for the PIA. In order to overcome this shortcoming and boost tourism in the area, Civil Aviation Authority issued Tourism Promotion and Regional Integration (TPRI) licenses to four new airlines – Kashmir Air, Alwair Airways, ASSL Air and North Air. These airlines will use helicopters, fixed-wings and rotary-wing planes for flights. Initially, these flights will operate between Islamabad, Skardu, Chitral, Gilgit, and Gwadar, covering significant tourist destinations. Private airlines have made the shorter trips more appealing to people looking for a weekend getaway. According to the 2017 Census, GB has a population of 1.49 million with a total area of 72,496 Sq Km. It has three divisions and 10 districts. Skardu, Hunza, Gilgit, Domel and Diamer are the famous cities. GB has become a center of attraction for tourists due to its diverse attractions in culture, heritage, nature, adventure, sports, water, clean air, landscape, leisure, wildlife, and biodiversity. With the improvement in law and order, this area has become a popular holiday resort and tourism destination for thousands of people, including foreign tourists, mountaineers and trekkers, from home and abroad. Adventurers climb the most forbidding 8,000-meter peaks and trek across massive glaciers interspersed with alpine meadows. K-2, the world's second highest peak, is also located in GB, and many foreign mountaineers and tourists visit each year for expeditions. In 2007, the region had only 22,780 domestic and 10,338 foreign tourists whereas 2018 witnessed a massive growth of tourism with a flow of 139,1628 domestic and 9,027 foreign tourists. According to the GB Tourism Department, the domestic tourist influx in 2018 was the highest ever. In a single year, almost 1.4 million domestic tourists visited GB, but after the outbreak of Covid-19, the number of domestic visitors fell to 1 million.  In contrast, the number of foreign tourists visiting GB continued to rise, reaching 10,829 in 2019. However, since the recent easing of travel ban and progressive opening of tourism sector and other economic activity, a considerable number of tourists have flocked to the region. The tourism industry not only contributes to overall economic development, but also creates jobs for the local community. According to a study conducted by Dr. Rehmat Kari and Pro. Dr. Attaullah Shah, domestic and international tourists spent Rs3.48 million and $0.489 million respectively in September 2019. Additionally, tourists in Hunza spent PKR1.94 million on food and beverages, while they spent PKR1.59 million on shopping and souvenirs. Travel and tourism's ability to generate jobs and indirect positive effects on a variety of other industries should not be overlooked. GB will draw more domestic and foreign tourists in the coming days, as Skardu has been granted the international airport status and private airlines have started flight operations. Hunza Valley's nomination as a UNESCO World Heritage Site is another positive move that will help to increase the region's prominence. Furthermore, the government needs to make a comprehensive master plan for the aviation and road transportation sector to invite foreign investors to the region. Shifting more funding to maintenance would improve the efficacy of road assets. More private sector engagement is needed to expand transportation services, which can be achieved by removing the current barriers that restrict the transportation companies to operate in our Northern Areas. Similarly, upgrading the Skardu airport's infrastructure and removing regulatory impediments to allow direct international flight services to begin in the near future are essential for increasing international tourism.