Tourist traffic in Pakistan witnesses sharp increase in five years

[MenInG]

ISLAMABAD: Tourist traffic at cultural sites in Pakistan has seen a massive increase of 317 per cent over the past five years with Punjab’s contribution being nearly 95pc, according to a report.

The report Cultural Heritage and Museum Visits in Pakistan by Gallup Pakistan, a research organisation affiliated with Gallup International Association, indicates that tourism could be a potential game changer that could revitalise the struggling economy of the country.

According to data presented in the report, available with Dawn, tourism at cultural sites has experienced a massive increase since 2014. From approximately 1.6 million visits in 2014, the tourist traffic at cultural sites rose to 6.6m visits in 2018, a 317 per cent increase in a span of five years. Punjab, as the largest and most populated province, contributed approximately 95pc whereas tourist traffic in Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa fluctuated over the years.

A Gallup Pakistan report indicates that tourism could be a potential game changer for country’s struggling economy

The tourist traffic at museum sites increased by approximately 50pc with the number of visits increasing from 1.7m in 2014 to around 2.7m in 2018. The tourist traffic in KP and Balochistan has also experienced a similar trend at its museum sites, whereas in Punjab and Sindh, the number of visits at museum sites fluctuated over the years. But overall, the provinces recorded maximum number of visits in 2018.

Total visits by foreigners increased by more than two folds for both cultural and museum sites in Pakistan. Over the past five years the percentage of foreign visitors to museums rose by approximately 130pc whereas foreign visitors to cultural sites rose by 100pc. Museums remained more popular among foreign visitors by receiving on average 50pc more visits than cultural sites. The trend among all four provinces for total foreign visits saw a gradual increase, with the highest increase in KP where the number of museum visits in 2018 rose by 250pc.

The Pakistan Monument Museum in Islamabad, Khewra Mines Museum in Chakwal and Lok Virsa Heritage Museum in Islamabad were the top three most popular museums from 2016 to 2018, with Taxila and Lahore museums in fourth and fifth positions.

Speaking to Dawn, Bilal Ghani of Gallup Pakistan said, “We have observed 15 to 20pc increase in local and foreign visitors. Interest in museums is continuously increasing,” adding that the report was based on number of visits by local and foreign visitors to cultural and museum sites maintained by federal and provincial governments.

The report states that the Shahi Qila in Lahore was the most popular cultural site. The Shalimar Garden, Lahore, was the second most popular site in 2016 and 2018, and the Hiran Minar in Sheikhupura was the second most visited site in 2017. The third most popular site in 2016 was Jehangir’s tomb, Lahore. In 2017 it was the ancient Buddhist monastic complex Takht-i-Bahi in Mardan that was the most visited and in 2018 it was the Hiran Minar.

Among foreigners the Lahore Museum was the most popular in 2016 and 2017. But, in 2018 Taxila Museum was most visited. From 2016 to 2018, Taxila was the most liked cultural site for foreign tourists. The Shahi Qila was the second most well-liked site. The third most visited site by foreigners in 2016 was Moenjodaro, Larkana, Jehangir’s Tomb in 2017 and the Shalimar Garden in 2018.

“There is room for further improvements. With some more efforts both local and foreigner visitors can be increased substantially,” said Mr Ghani of Gallup Pakistan.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1508132/tourist-traffic-witnesses-sharp-increase-in-five-years

 

[Rellu_Katta]

something all pakistanies should be working on.... tourism is a big industry and pakistan has more things to offer than most countries.... the north has its beauty but nothing is more crazy beautiful than balochistan...I have explored bits of it but the amazingness of balochistan is still not discovered properly .... for me its more beautiful than the north ...

 

[GoUgandaCranes]

I don't think tourism in Pakistan will get a boom until we start cleaning our cities.

Rawalpindi used to have a fresh water rivulet, now it's the designated waste bin of the city. It goes through all of Islamabad and it's absolutely terrible that this is being used as a sanitation resource. The giant piles of plastic bags don't help as well.

Tourism isn't about pretty mountains and languid scenery, it's also about history, culture, and traditions of a place. How many people head over to Vienna, or Stockholm just to see the city streets, sit by a roadside cafe and just enjoy the clean air. Meanwhile no one would go to Gujranwala to see what the city is about.

For the tourism to really pick up, we need more than the mountains and the scenic view. Until that happens, it would just be a minor industry. Add to the fact that unplanned growth, un clean habits, and inability to take care of nature will make even the Northern mountains a dump.

 

[Napa]

There are many numbers in the OP, but the most significant one given Pakistan's current economic troubles would be the number of foreign tourists (the absolute number, not the percentage increase), and that number is missing.

 

[MenInG]

Media Times Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Shehryar Taseer enthusiastically moderated the session Soft Power, Promoting Pakistan on the Global Stage at the Pearl Continental Hotel in Karachi on Sunday during the 021 Disrupt Technology & Entrepreneurship Conference.
In the panel discussion, five iconic celebrities including Pakistan’s legend Wasim Akram, Shaniera Akram, Shehzad Roy, Aamina Sheikh and Hina Bayat were present. Commencing the discussion Shehryar Taseer said that promoting Pakistan’s soft image by tourism is one of the best tools, which is likely to happen if we wipe away the elements bringing a bad name to Pakistan.

Media Times CEO Shehryar Taseer engaged all the panellists with his questions that kept the audience applauding. Singer and social worker Shehzad Roy said that in Zindagi Foundation; more than 4,000 girls were getting education. The government is supposed to think over providing equal education, child abuse is supposed to be finished, he also emphasized to have children educated when it comes to sex education.”Parents and teachers must teach every child that none of the doctors should ask to touch your private body parts and unfortunately 1 out 5 of us is sexually harassed”, he added.

In reply to Taseer’s question, cricket legend Wasim Akram informed how it was important for any person looking to join sports, to be physically and mentally fit and be engaged in healthy physical activities. “Also, the media is supposed to be positive. Every television channel shows politician arguing among themselves with the anchor playing the role of a referee,” he lamented. “Instead of improving English a cricketer should focus on his bowling, batting and fielding, Pakistan under sixteen team even does not have ‘Sport kits’ “, he said.

In reply to Taseer’s question, cricket legend Wasim Akram informed how it was important for any person looking to join sports, to be physically and mentally fit and be engaged in healthy physical activities. ‘Also, the media is supposed to be positive. Every television channel shows politician arguing among themselves with the anchor playing the role of a referee,’ he lamented

Hina Bayat discussed over the mainly issues happening in Pakistan, incest and violence, gender discrimination can be wiped out by creating responsiveness in society, parents must get closer to children, now Pakistani dramas are being translated into other languages, it is therefore, being a journalist and producer, I feel content is unique. It is making good image of Pakistan in the world, she replied to Taseer in discussion.

Shaniera Akram threw light upon bringing Pakistan in the list of peaceful and first world country, she also used the sentence again and again ‘My homeland Pakistan’. “It irks me when I see garbage at the Karachi’s beaches; I am concerned about early mirages of the girls”, she said.

“However, wherever I go in UK, USA and Australia, people ask about the positive things about Pakistan, which make me really very happy”, she supposed.

She said, “We all seem afraid to lose our culture but we shouldn’t be. Just having culture does not mean we need to live in the 1900s. We need to modernize our culture and reinvent ways to do things”.

She further said that gets hundreds of messages on her social media accounts from overseas who keep asking if she really likes living here and she answers it’s amazing! They need to come see for themselves. In the session, two-day conference aimed to stir conversations that strengthen the Pakistani ecosystem, by hosting thousand of disruptors, who are entrepreneurs, investors, influencers, mentors, and professionals on the occasion 65 speakers came from 20 diverse industry sectors.

During the conference, six hands-on skill building workshops for budding entrepreneurs on Storytelling, Community-Building, Mindfulness, Empathy Mapping, Raising Investments, Pitching for Fundraising and three distinct roundtable sessions exploring Investments in Pakistan, Social Impact & Sustainability and Diversity & Inclusion took place on the occasion. Moreover, 20 start-ups pitched in Startup Rapid Fire rounds in front of an audience that was in hundred

https://dailytimes.com.pk/494281/pr...ism-is-one-of-the-best-tools-shehryar-taseer/

 

[hussain.r97]

I don't think tourism in Pakistan will get a boom until we start cleaning our cities.

Rawalpindi used to have a fresh water rivulet, now it's the designated waste bin of the city. It goes through all of Islamabad and it's absolutely terrible that this is being used as a sanitation resource. The giant piles of plastic bags don't help as well.

Tourism isn't about pretty mountains and languid scenery, it's also about history, culture, and traditions of a place. How many people head over to Vienna, or Stockholm just to see the city streets, sit by a roadside cafe and just enjoy the clean air. Meanwhile no one would go to Gujranwala to see what the city is about.

For the tourism to really pick up, we need more than the mountains and the scenic view. Until that happens, it would just be a minor industry. Add to the fact that unplanned growth, un clean habits, and inability to take care of nature will make even the Northern mountains a dump.

100% agree with this. The reason people flock to Europe is that it is safe and clean, and they have an extremely well preserved historical and cultural heritage. Meanwhile, in Pakistan we have historical and cultural treasures that are being left to rot, dirty cities, and religious fundamentalism destroying some treasured pieces of Pakistani heritage.

Many cities in Pakistan, including Lahore, Mutan, Bahawalpur, Peshawar, etc have centuries of history, but no one aside from a real adventurer would want to explore them. Mountain tourism is great, but it does not appeal to everyone, nor can it be sold as something completely unique. Sure, Pakistan's mountains are very high, but people can find mountains in Europe, New Zealand, China, India, Canada, and many other places. The way to get people to flock to the mountains is by marketing the culture and history of Hunza, Gilgit, Baltistan, and Chitral. Similarly, the way to get tourists to flock to the rest of Pakistan is by cleaning up our cities and restoring cultural and heritage sites, making them more tourist friendly, and then market them like crazy.

 

[Abdullah719]

100% agree with this. The reason people flock to Europe is that it is safe and clean, and they have an extremely well preserved historical and cultural heritage. Meanwhile, in Pakistan we have historical and cultural treasures that are being left to rot, dirty cities, and religious fundamentalism destroying some treasured pieces of Pakistani heritage.

Many cities in Pakistan, including Lahore, Mutan, Bahawalpur, Peshawar, etc have centuries of history, but no one aside from a real adventurer would want to explore them. Mountain tourism is great, but it does not appeal to everyone, nor can it be sold as something completely unique. Sure, Pakistan's mountains are very high, but people can find mountains in Europe, New Zealand, China, India, Canada, and many other places. The way to get people to flock to the mountains is by marketing the culture and history of Hunza, Gilgit, Baltistan, and Chitral. Similarly, the way to get tourists to flock to the rest of Pakistan is by cleaning up our cities and restoring cultural and heritage sites, making them more tourist friendly, and then market them like crazy.

Been watching a few videos recently of foreigners visiting Pakistan and most of them have complained about the trash. There's barely any other thing they have an issue with.

 

[KingKhanWC]

Been watching a few videos recently of foreigners visiting Pakistan and most of them have complained about the trash. There's barely any other thing they have an issue with.

Same. It's increcdible so many western tourists are now coming to Pakistan. Have you watched this American family? It was unconcievable they would be walking around Peshawar 10 odd years ago!

 

[Abdullah719]

Same. It's increcdible so many western tourists are now coming to Pakistan. Have you watched this American family? It was unconcievable they would be walking around Peshawar 10 odd years ago!

Yeah, saw a couple of their videos.

 

[Mamoon]

Same. It's increcdible so many western tourists are now coming to Pakistan. Have you watched this American family? It was unconcievable they would be walking around Peshawar 10 odd years ago!

Cool video, thanks for sharing. Peshawar looks better with an HD camera than it does with the human eye lol.

Should have travelled around the city in the state of the art BRT. Oh wait.

 

[KingKhanWC]

Cool video, thanks for sharing. Peshawar looks better with an HD camera than it does with the human eye lol.

Should have travelled around the city in the state of the art BRT. Oh wait.

I'll be sure to take my camera with me when I go next year.

Its a must to buy some chappals Chacha Noor Din. If they are good enough for the greatest Pakistani alive, then I will be like them too.

 

[Syed1]

A few travel vloggers whose videos I've seen regarding Pak are Travellight, Eva Zu Beck, Huub travels, College Free, Food Ranger, Mark Weins, Alex Outhwaite etc etc.

We Pakistanis have a very self deprecating nature and love to put down ourselves (some even have 80k+ posts on PP about it) but the foreigners usually have a blast in Pak (no pun intended)


I just wish our cities had better cleanliness, solid waste management and lack of neem hakeem ad grafitti on the walls.

 

[SensiblePakFan]

Pakistan needs to learn from Egypt

The number of tourists in Egypt stood at 0.1 million in 1951. Tourism became an important sector of the economy from 1975 onwards, as Egypt eased visa restrictions for almost all European and North American countries and established embassies in new countries like Austria, Netherlands, Denmark and Finland. In 1976, tourism was a focal point of the Five Year Plan of the Government, where 12% of the budget was allocated to upgrading state-owned hotels, establishing a loan fund for private hotels, and upgrading infrastructure (including road, rail, and air connectivity) for major tourist centers along the coastal areas. In 1979, tourism experts and advisors were brought in from Turkey and several new colleges were established with Turkish help between 1979 and 1981, to teach diploma courses in hospitality and tourism management. The tourist inflow increased to 1.8 million in 1981 and then to 5.5 million in 2000. Tourism reached a pinnacle in 2010 by reaching 14.7 million visitors.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tourism_in_Egypt

Nothing is achieved without a plan and the will to execute given plan.

 

[SensiblePakFan]

Pakistan needs to learn from Egypt

The number of tourists in Egypt stood at 0.1 million in 1951. Tourism became an important sector of the economy from 1975 onwards, as Egypt eased visa restrictions for almost all European and North American countries and established embassies in new countries like Austria, Netherlands, Denmark and Finland. In 1976, tourism was a focal point of the Five Year Plan of the Government, where 12% of the budget was allocated to upgrading state-owned hotels, establishing a loan fund for private hotels, and upgrading infrastructure (including road, rail, and air connectivity) for major tourist centers along the coastal areas. In 1979, tourism experts and advisors were brought in from Turkey and several new colleges were established with Turkish help between 1979 and 1981, to teach diploma courses in hospitality and tourism management. The tourist inflow increased to 1.8 million in 1981 and then to 5.5 million in 2000. Tourism reached a pinnacle in 2010 by reaching 14.7 million visitors.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tourism_in_Egypt

Nothing is achieved without a plan and the will to execute given plan.

12% of their national budget, not lip service.

 

[hussain.r97]

Pakistan needs to learn from Egypt

The number of tourists in Egypt stood at 0.1 million in 1951. Tourism became an important sector of the economy from 1975 onwards, as Egypt eased visa restrictions for almost all European and North American countries and established embassies in new countries like Austria, Netherlands, Denmark and Finland. In 1976, tourism was a focal point of the Five Year Plan of the Government, where 12% of the budget was allocated to upgrading state-owned hotels, establishing a loan fund for private hotels, and upgrading infrastructure (including road, rail, and air connectivity) for major tourist centers along the coastal areas. In 1979, tourism experts and advisors were brought in from Turkey and several new colleges were established with Turkish help between 1979 and 1981, to teach diploma courses in hospitality and tourism management. The tourist inflow increased to 1.8 million in 1981 and then to 5.5 million in 2000. Tourism reached a pinnacle in 2010 by reaching 14.7 million visitors.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tourism_in_Egypt

Nothing is achieved without a plan and the will to execute given plan.

Exactly this! Right now, Pakistani is still considered a "hidden gem" around the world, a place visited by tourists who like to go off the beaten track. The only way to make Pakistan a mainstream tourist destination is to fix the various problems, and actually have a strategy and significant investment into attracting people to Pakistan.

 

[CricketDon]

something all pakistanies should be working on.... tourism is a big industry and pakistan has more things to offer than most countries.... the north has its beauty but nothing is more crazy beautiful than balochistan...I have explored bits of it but the amazingness of balochistan is still not discovered properly .... for me its more beautiful than the north ...

Theirs literally thousands of locations that offer more than pak...

 

[ahsan17]

Theirs literally thousands of locations that offer more than pak...

What is your point? There will be locations that will offer more than any other location.

 

[ahsan17]

I am quite taken aback (in a good way) by the number of vloggers that have traveled to Pakistan in the last 12-16 months. It started off with one or two vloggers, then it grew more and more, and now I've lost count. You can search terms such as "Pakistan travel" and "Pakistan vlog" (I do this 1-2 times a week) and there's a new video almost every day. And these videos are not by Pakistanis or people of Pakistani descent, but by non-Pakistanis traveling to Pakistan.

I think IK's visa policy has resulted in a lot of this, and I am expecting this will accelerate tourism further, assuming security situation remains good or gets even better.

 

[Rellu_Katta]

Theirs literally thousands of locations that offer more than pak...

talking from experience (having travelled about 35+ countries) pakistan has much more to offer than pak ...

and there are many other factors to consider as well esp financial.... Pak is much cheaper than most of similar places ... less tourist rush ... and much friendlier people ...

so dont just get into **** complex without actual experience

 

[Rellu_Katta]

A few travel vloggers whose videos I've seen regarding Pak are Travellight, Eva Zu Beck, Huub travels, College Free, Food Ranger, Mark Weins, Alex Outhwaite etc etc.

We Pakistanis have a very self deprecating nature and love to put down ourselves (some even have 80k+ posts on PP about it) but the foreigners usually have a blast in Pak (no pun intended)


I just wish our cities had better cleanliness, solid waste management and lack of neem hakeem ad grafitti on the walls.

sooo very true... some of our soo called intellectuals are mental midgets who cry all the time degrading our own self .... had they been in any of our neighboring country, would be having their 4th by now ...

 

[Varun]

I would love to visit Pakistan and climb a mountain or something. And taste the food - it'll be our Mughlai cuisine with afterburners plugged in.

Probably never gonna happen though.

 

[Rellu_Katta]

I would love to visit Pakistan and climb a mountain or something. And taste the food - it'll be our Mughlai cuisine with afterburners plugged in.

Probably never gonna happen though.

in times , early to mid 2000z, we had about 50 odd students coming over to our uni for a semester .. from a uni in dehli .. so can happen .. just need sane head on the top

 

[KingKhanWC]

I would love to visit Pakistan and climb a mountain or something. And taste the food - it'll be our Mughlai cuisine with afterburners plugged in.

Probably never gonna happen though.

Ill sponsor you

Exellent Vlog here. A British lad who converted to Islam is now in Pakistan exploring. He's so happy

 

[Mamoon]

Pakistan’s tourism potential is limited because the bulk of the tourists are mountaineers, hippies and flood vloggers with GoPro cameras on their foreheads.

It will be difficult to establish a Pakistan as a viable tourist destination for the regular people who are not YouTubers and don’t have some weird obsession.

 

[KingKhanWC]

Pakistan’s tourism potential is limited because the bulk of the tourists are mountaineers, hippies and flood vloggers with GoPro cameras on their foreheads.

It will be difficult to establish a Pakistan as a viable tourist destination for the regular people who are not YouTubers and don’t have some weird obsession.

Disagree, Pakistan has huge potential but a lot of work needs to be done. The north is simply stunning even in photos/videos. Ive been the Alps, the peaks in Pakistan make the Alps look small. The people are much more friendly than most parts of the world, the food is amazing and most of all the prices when in Pakistan are far more cheaper. In the Alps last year, it cost me £30 for a 10" pizza!

Pak tourism needs to start investing when it can with adverts showing all I have mentioned. I havent seen any advert to this day, perhaps I missed it?

 

[Slog]

Tourism can not reach its potential unless alcohol is allowed and there is semblance of a night life.

Look at any Muslim country which has significant tourism (Turkey, Malaysia, Indonesia, Dubai) and you will see they have a thriving nightlife and alcohol is freely allowed and available.

 

[Slog]

Tourism can not reach its potential unless alcohol is allowed and there is semblance of a night life.

Look at any Muslim country which has significant tourism (Turkey, Malaysia, Indonesia, Dubai) and you will see they have a thriving nightlife and alcohol is freely allowed and available.

The sub section of tourists whose only interest is natural beauty and culture with no interest or want for a night life is VERY small. A few years ago a few Pakistani friends took 10-15 American (3 British, few South American and few other nationalities ) classmates and this was a question that came up regularly. And this was entirely an education and cultural trip organized by us with help from pakistani authorities and top officials. And even then these questions came up. So you can imagine for the average tourist.

Pakistan (esp north) is very beautiful and the culture is unique but those things are available at similar level (even if we want to believe otherwise) in many other countries which are much more laidback and open than our society.

 

[KingKhanWC]

Tourism can not reach its potential unless alcohol is allowed and there is semblance of a night life.

Look at any Muslim country which has significant tourism (Turkey, Malaysia, Indonesia, Dubai) and you will see they have a thriving nightlife and alcohol is freely allowed and available.

Booze will be an issue for westerners but many travel to various countries , a week or so without booze can be done for them. Also Pak can tap into the Muslim market, Turks love Pakistan and are now travelling a lot , along with a huge market from other Muslim nations. Pakistan needs to make it Visa free for such nations.

 

[Slog]

Booze will be an issue for westerners but many travel to various countries , a week or so without booze can be done for them. Also Pak can tap into the Muslim market, Turks love Pakistan and are now travelling a lot , along with a huge market from other Muslim nations. Pakistan needs to make it Visa free for such nations.

Even many of the Arab tourists I met and saw in istanbul were boozing. So many of those rich Muslim tourists (the one who come and spend money) are also looking for spots where their is booze. I’m sure you’ve noticed these clown Arabs roaming around in Ferraris and lambos in London on their summer breaks. Without it as I said there will be a very small sub set of people who will come (mostly curious, adventurer types) and that won’t be what will bring the country the moolah .

I wonder what the scene was in Egypt before the revolution when they had decent tourism. Whether alcohol was allowed. But then again they have the freakin pyramids and they aren’t up in your faces about dressing etc.

 

[saeedhk]

Good points raised above. By only catering to adrenaline junkies, we will not experience significant tourism. The main issue with Pakistan is that there is a lack of tourist spots. Once you go out of Lahore or Karachi, there is literally nothing for anybody to see. Even in these two big cities, there is not a lot that would appeal to many.

 

[Muddaser]

Good points raised above. By only catering to adrenaline junkies, we will not experience significant tourism. The main issue with Pakistan is that there is a lack of tourist spots. Once you go out of Lahore or Karachi, there is literally nothing for anybody to see. Even in these two big cities, there is not a lot that would appeal to many.

Are you serious?

If you are, you have lost your marbles.

 

[KingKhanWC]

The sub section of tourists whose only interest is natural beauty and culture with no interest or want for a night life is VERY small. A few years ago a few Pakistani friends took 10-15 American (3 British, few South American and few other nationalities ) classmates and this was a question that came up regularly. And this was entirely an education and cultural trip organized by us with help from pakistani authorities and top officials. And even then these questions came up. So you can imagine for the average tourist.

Pakistan (esp north) is very beautiful and the culture is unique but those things are available at similar level (even if we want to believe otherwise) in many other countries which are much more laidback and open than our society.

Dont know what you think, I'd rather not have such people(Rich Arabs) coming to Pakistan, they will treat hospitable Pakistani public as lower species.

I think there is still a lot of fear of Pakistan for the average tourist but hopefully in a few years more people will be open to travelling. Pakistan must promote what is unique to Pakistan, K2 trek, historic buildings, food, etc.

I think I might take some of my non-Pak mates to Pakistan in the next fews years, a mix of male and female to do my bit in promoting it.

 

[KingKhanWC]

Good points raised above. By only catering to adrenaline junkies, we will not experience significant tourism. The main issue with Pakistan is that there is a lack of tourist spots. Once you go out of Lahore or Karachi, there is literally nothing for anybody to see. Even in these two big cities, there is not a lot that would appeal to many.

K2 is arguably the greatest mountain to climb on the planet. Along with skiing , Pakistan has huge potential, the market is worth billions. These people dont care about booze or clubs, they spend huge money to ski on mountains or see mountains.

You dont like anyting about Pakistan, in fact you display a lot of hatred, not sure why you even bother commenting on anything related to Pak.

 

[Nadeemp]

I think the truth lies somewhere in the middle . In my youth I travelled up and down the country. One of my uncle was a doctor who went to all these remote parts of Pakistan to perform basic surgeries as there were no proper hospitals. So I have seen plenty of Pakistan. Pakistani should be seeing more tourists than it currently does. Yes we have the himilayas , but so does india, china, Tibet, Nepal and Bhutan. And I think pakistan has one of the smaller land size of that group. India has the biggest piece ( of himilayas) I think. The food is amazing, cheap and warm people. But all those other countries have that also. Other than the north, balochistan is an untapped spot also. Punjab is mediocre in natural beauty and so is sind other than thar desert . The historical sites are not world level must see IN general. Having no booze is an issue. Eventually when enough people start coming , treatment or. harassment of women will also be a red flag. The influx of tourists we are getting are the ones who are really out there. Pakistan is now on their bucket list. But these travelers are not big money spenders. I think if we work on infrastructure we can get more tourists. Making booze legal will help also. It’s a a great soft power move to make a better image of Pakistan.

 

[Nadeemp]

Food hygiene is going to be a big big issue also. The travelers who are coming now, don’t care. But the Next level up will care. But all this can be fixed and worked on.

 

[Muddaser]

I think the truth lies somewhere in the middle . In my youth I travelled up and down the country. One of my uncle was a doctor who went to all these remote parts of Pakistan to perform basic surgeries as there were no proper hospitals. So I have seen plenty of Pakistan. Pakistani should be seeing more tourists than it currently does. Yes we have the himilayas , but so does india, china, Tibet, Nepal and Bhutan. And I think pakistan has one of the smaller land size of that group. India has the biggest piece ( of himilayas) I think. The food is amazing, cheap and warm people. But all those other countries have that also. Other than the north, balochistan is an untapped spot also. Punjab is mediocre in natural beauty and so is sind other than thar desert . The historical sites are not world level must see IN general. Having no booze is an issue. Eventually when enough people start coming , treatment or. harassment of women will also be a red flag. The influx of tourists we are getting are the ones who are really out there. Pakistan is now on their bucket list. But these travelers are not big money spenders. I think if we work on infrastructure we can get more tourists. Making booze legal will help also. It’s a a great soft power move to make a better image of Pakistan.

Pakistan has all 3 of the great Himalayan ranges unlike the others.

Hindu Kush, Himalayas and the Karakoram.

Pakistan has the most mountains over 7000 metres.Over half of them are in Pakistan. Around 150. Also the most Glaciers in country outside the poles. 7253 in total.

Definitely not a small portion.

You have numerous historical sites like Taxila, Mehrgarh, Harappa, Mohenjodaro etc.

You also have the major the Sikh religious sites like Nankana Sahib and Kartarpur Sahib. Also Hindu and Buddhist sites.

Personally before westerners our government should atleast get South Asians to visit Pakistan frequently. Sikhs being first priority.

 

[Madplayer]

It has declined sharply in Kashmir since august last year. Thanks to Indian fascism. We used to have so much traffic that we used to divert tourists to other states. Now its all doom and gloom.

 

[Nadeemp]

Pakistan has all 3 of the great Himalayan ranges unlike the others.

Hindu Kush, Himalayas and the Karakoram.

Pakistan has the most mountains over 7000 metres.Over half of them are in Pakistan. Around 150. Also the most Glaciers in country outside the poles. 7253 in total.

Definitely not a small portion.

You have numerous historical sites like Taxila, Mehrgarh, Harappa, Mohenjodaro etc.

You also have the major the Sikh religious sites like Nankana Sahib and Kartarpur Sahib. Also Hindu and Buddhist sites.

Personally before westerners our government should atleast get South Asians to visit Pakistan frequently. Sikhs being first priority.

All the historical sites you mentioned. I have been. They are very important sites for human history. However visually they are nothing to look at.

 

[saeedhk]

K2 is arguably the greatest mountain to climb on the planet. Along with skiing , Pakistan has huge potential, the market is worth billions. These people dont care about booze or clubs, they spend huge money to ski on mountains or see mountains.

You dont like anyting about Pakistan, in fact you display a lot of hatred, not sure why you even bother commenting on anything related to Pak.

I never denied the beauty of our Northern Areas. But apart from that, there is nothing that will appeal to many.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

Tourism can not reach its potential unless alcohol is allowed and there is semblance of a night life.

Look at any Muslim country which has significant tourism (Turkey, Malaysia, Indonesia, Dubai) and you will see they have a thriving nightlife and alcohol is freely allowed and available.

Tourism will obviously increase a lot more if there is nightlife and alcohol available, but can't see that happening any time soon. But just having better standards of hygiene and cleaning up the rubbish would improve it for those who aren't bothered about alcohol and are there for other reasons. Not to mention it would improve it for the locals themselves.

 

[Madplayer]

All the historical sites you mentioned. I have been. They are very important sites for human history. However visually they are nothing to look at.

Cultural tourism doesnt have much to do with aesthetics. As someone who has knowledge of tourism industry, i can tell you this much that there is a lot to exploit in Pakistan. You just need eyes to see it, brains to utilize it and some financial resources to enhance it. And i am not talking about only the mountains of Pakistan.

 

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

I think there is a thread here where people have shared amazing pictures from Pakistan. Pakistan is a beautiful country to tour. Some foreign youtubers touring them is a step in the right direction.