G-B imposes entry fee for tourist vehicles, hotel registrations

GILGIT: The Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) government has introduced new entry fee for tourist vehicles and motorcycles entering the region and registration of hotels operated by non-locals.

The move aims to regulate tourism and generate revenue to support sustainable development in the region.

Under the new policy, tourist vehicles entering G-B will be charged Rs2,000, while motorcycles will be charged a fee of Rs500. The tourism department has imposed a fee on hotels operated by non-locals and non-domicile holders.

The registration fee for hotels range from Rs40,000 for one-star establishments to Rs250,000 for five-star hotels, with renewal fee varying between Rs20,000 and Rs100,000 based on the hotel’s star rating.

Similarly, local sawmills have been subjected to a registration fee of Rs20,000 and a renewal fee of Rs5,000, which has elicited criticism from locals. In the past, the imposition of such fee remained a point of contention as local residents have labeled them as taxes and argued that such levies are illegal given the disputed political status of the region, with a final resolution yet to be determined. For several years, the people of the region, under the banner of the Awami Action Committee (AAC) — an alliance of various religious, political, and nationalist parties — have staged protests with the slogan “No taxation without representation.”

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Former chief minister Hafiz Hafeezur Rehman the new fee necessary to regulate activities impacting the environment and local resources. He also suggested more reasonable rates for local sawmills. “The registration fee for sawmills should not exceed Rs10,000, with a renewal fee ranging between Rs2,000 to Rs3,000 according to their size,” he said, citing the environmental and power issues caused by unregulated sawmills.

Rehman also proposed a health and life insurance fee for tourists instead of the entry charge. “Tourists benefit from free healthcare facilities in the region, similar to locals.

Making insurance mandatory would address this imbalance,” he added. On hotel fee, he said that the charges remain modest compared to the earnings of five-star hotels, which can charge up to Rs100,000 per room per day.

Though tourism is regarded as one of the main sources of employment and income for locals, it is almost becoming unsustainable due to the influx on local tourists along with vehicles.

The local tourists, most often, throw litter, garbage and plastic wrappers behind, causing environmental pollution and further damaging the vulnerable biodiversity and melting glaciers.