Hoteliers in the now notorious town where Osama bin Laden was killed by elite US forces are praying the views and balmy weather still reel in bumper tourist numbers this year. Considered one of the quietest towns in the northwest, nestled in pine-dotted hills and popular with day-trippers from the capital, Abbottabad is listed on the official tourism website as a “popular summer resort”.
The breezy language employed by the Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation promoting a “charming town” gives no hint of forces that — according to a widow of bin Laden — housed the world’s most-wanted terrorist for five years.
Instead it says the town is a base for trips to the beautiful Kaghan valley and recommends as “places worth visiting in and around Abbottabad” the Ilyasi mosque with its water spring, the Shimla view point and Thandiani hill resort.
Officials say the bin Laden episode might not dampen the inflow of tourists, since the peace of the city was barely disturbed and business has continued as usual. Indeed, said one, it might even be a bonus. “I believe that tourism will not be impacted — rather, more people are coming to see the place where the incident happened,” provincial secretary for tourism and culture Azam Khan told AFP, adding that “Abbottabad is a normal, peaceful city today as it was before.”
The town is famous for its military training centres including the elite Pakistan Military Academy, but the surrounding hills attract people on short breaks from Islamabad and tourists escaping to cooler climes. Hoteliers were upbeat, saying prospects for this summer were good. “Praise be to God, we are doing good business and expect a full season,” Hummayun Khan, manager of the Alpine hotel, told AFP, adding that, “I don’t think the recent incident will have a negative impact, because the city is still normal and peaceful and people are doing business without any fear.”
Jibran Mirza, a manager at Gilani’s guest house, said some people may this year prefer to go to Murree, another resort town north of Islamabad, but he did “not see any downslide” in business. “Murree is overcrowded, so families prefer Abbottabad,” he added. Locals suspect that the comings and goings of tourists and migrants are exactly what enabled bin Laden to live there for so long undetected.
“It’s a quiet town and gateway to northern areas and Kashmir,” said another Pakistani security official when asked why Al-Qaeda might have considered Abbottabad as a hiding place. Abbottabad is popular not just with visitors but with those looking to relocate. Its weather, peaceful reputation and the perceived security of a garrison have drawn many from other cities to work or educate their children.
There was an influx of migrants from Kashmir after the 2005 earthquake, and another from the northwestern tribal belt bordering Afghanistan after the army launched major operations against the Taliban in Waziristan and Swat in 2009.
Hopes for bumper tourist season in bin Laden town
