The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has approved a Rs2 billion tourism and cultural heritage project for the development and maintenance of 12 polo grounds in Upper and Lower Chitral, including the historic Shandur Polo Ground.
According to an official document available with Wealth Pakistan, the project has been designed to preserve and promote polo as one of the most important cultural and heritage traditions of Chitral. The scheme also aims to strengthen sports-based tourism and create income opportunities for local communities.
The Shandur Polo Festival is one of the key tourism events of the region. It is organised at Shandur Top in coordination with Chitral Scouts, the district administration, the police, and the Gilgit-Baltistan government.
The festival generates millions of rupees for the communities of Upper and Lower Chitral through tourism-related activities, including transport, accommodation, food services, temporary stalls, and local trade.
Chitral’s polo culture is deeply connected with the region’s identity. Unlike formal club polo, the traditional version played in Chitral is faster, more physical, and closely linked with local festivals and community gatherings.
The document also lists several promotional festivals for the region, including the Shandur Polo Festival, the Pre-Shandur Polo Tournament, the Qaqhlasht Festival, the Broghil Festival, the Khut Festival, the Chilam Joshi Festival, the Uchal Summer Festival and the Choimus Winter Festival.
The polo grounds project is the largest individual tourism-related scheme mentioned in the document for Chitral. Other projects include tourist rest areas, picnic spots, camping pod villages, and road schemes.
The development of 12 polo grounds could help Chitral turn its traditional sport into a stronger tourism product, benefiting local players, transporters, hoteliers, shopkeepers and small businesses.
Besides the polo grounds project, the document outlines several other tourism development initiatives for Chitral. These include the establishment of a Tourist Facilitation and Rest Area at Booni in Upper Chitral, development of tourist picnic spots at Garam Chashma in Lower Chitral and Sorlaspur in Upper Chitral, as well as camping pod villages at Bumburait, Sorlaspur and Yarkhun Lasht to improve visitor facilities and encourage tourism.
The document also includes road infrastructure projects, including the construction of a 17.1-kilometre road at a cost of Rs1.783 billion, while the Ayun-Bumburait and Zainey Pass roads have been recommended for inclusion in upcoming Annual Development Programme (ADP) schemes. In addition, a Rs300 million “Mezban” (Host) Tourism Programme has been initiated in Upper and Lower Chitral, Upper Dir, Lower Dir and Mansehra to support home-stay facilities through interest-free loans ranging from Rs1 million to Rs3 million.
