The stunning beauty of the Makran Coastal Highway with its majestic topography and the glittering blue sea is wasted in Pakistan. Photo courtesy Tauseef Razi Mallick/File
“We are packed for Eid,” said Muhammad Asif Muneer, managing director of the budget-friendly Gwadar Tourist Hotel. The pandemic may have sucked the life out of Karachiites’ entertainment, but it provided a boom for Gwadar’s tourism where the city dwellers are flocking to escape the confines of their homes.
Estimating the weekly capacity of the motel strip across the scenic marine drive to be around 2,000, Mr Muneer guesses that Gwadar receives around 20,000-25,000 visitors a month during the peak season when all places to stay are accounted for. The well-heeled may opt for Pearl Continental Gwadar that has witnessed a 200 per cent increase in the number of guests in the last four to five months, according to its finance manager Waqar Baig.