As another summer rush sends Pakistani families streaming towards the country’s northern hill resorts, the Kaghan Valley’s flagship destination of Naran is grappling with a building boom that locals and visitors warn is eroding the very scenery that draws them. According to The Express Tribune, where only a handful of hotels operated in the village of Batakundi as recently as 2019, dozens of hotels and guesthouses now stand completed, with many more still under construction.
The newspaper reported on 22 June 2026 that construction machinery, stacked building materials and scattered debris have become a common sight across the valley, with concrete steadily replacing the green spaces that once defined the area’s character. Litter was visible along stretches of the valley, the paper noted.
The commercialisation is also pricing out some of Naran’s traditional visitors. Saman, a student from Haripur quoted by The Express Tribune, said hotel prices had risen significantly over the years, with “some three-star hotels charging rates comparable to luxury properties.” Another visitor, Zubaida, told the paper her family was staying away this year because of changing weather conditions in the valley.
In response to the unregulated spread of construction, the Kaghan Development Authority (KDA) has stepped up enforcement against unauthorised building across the valley, including in Shogran, Naran, Kaghan, Batakundi, Jalkhad, Barwai and Baiser, according to the report. The paper also pointed to the proposed Mansehra-Kaghan-Naran-Chilas motorway, which is expected to push tourist numbers higher still.
The concerns in Naran reflect a wider strain on Pakistan’s northern tourist belt during the 2026 season. In neighbouring Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the scenic Galiyat hill region recorded a heavy influx during the Eid-ul-Adha holidays, with the Galiyat Development Authority reporting that 148,828 tourists and 37,207 vehicles entered the area, the Associated Press of Pakistan reported on 1 June 2026. The figure included 30 foreign tourists.
Dr Bakir Jalil of the Galiyat Development Authority said providing facilities to tourists had remained the top priority throughout the holiday, with a comprehensive cleanliness plan put in place and all available resources mobilised to ensure visitor comfort. “Both domestic and foreign tourists have acknowledged the importance of the facilities provided,” he said, per APP. He added that rising visitor numbers demonstrated the growing importance of Galiyat’s tourism sector, with authorities committing to expanded promotional measures.
The dual picture, swelling crowds on one hand and mounting pressure on fragile mountain landscapes on the other, has long shadowed the northern areas each summer. For visitors who have returned to Naran year after year, the change is now hard to miss. Sajida, a teacher who visited in 2024, recalled to The Express Tribune staying in a hotel near Jheel Road with a room that “overlooked the green mountains” — the kind of view that the valley’s residents now fear is being walled off by construction.
As the peak July and August months approach, the question facing authorities in both Kaghan and Galiyat is whether enforcement and facilities can keep pace with demand, the reports suggest. With a new motorway on the horizon and visitor numbers climbing, residents quoted by the press say development must be balanced with environmental protection if the green landscapes that built Naran’s reputation are to survive the boom.
