Karachi: Neglected sector of tourism in Sindh province needs revamping to further improve the soft image of the province and also boost its economy.
Sindh having diverse geographical features, including seashores, plains, forests, rivers, hills and deserts, besides world famous tourist attractions of Mohenjo Daro, Makli, Ranikot, Arore and Kotdeji, receives a negligible number of local and international tourists. The main reasons for lagging behind in the industry are vision-less leadership, high corruption at government level, inept and non-professional bureaucracy.
Tourism is an important industry. In Pakistan, Punjab province is earning billions of rupees in tourism sector due to better marketing and image building, professional bureaucracy and visionary political leadership. Sindh could easily surpass Punjab and all other provinces in the field of tourism provided the provincial government is serious and committed to boosting this sector.
Every year hundreds of thousands of people visit hill stations of Balochistan, Punjab, KP and northern areas and spend a huge amount of money there, but the provincial government of Sindh, despite the passage of decades, has yet to construct an all weather bus-travel road to its lone hill station of Gorakh.
Banks of Indus River and attractive beaches of Arabian Sea could be developed as tourist resorts and parks, and local and international investment could be invited to this lucrative sector, but the hindrance is a lack of political will. Similarly, millions could be earned by developing creek tourism in Thatta and Badin but it also needs a vision and positive thinking at the planning offices of this province.
However, there are complaints of mega corruption in less debated sectors like culture, tourism, archives and libraries; and Sindh anti-corruption department, the FIA and the NAB should initiate probes into these scams to unearth loot and plunder of the budgetary funds and ensure that this taxpayer money is spent honestly and properly.
The chief minister should give personal focus to boost and revamp the neglected tourism sector in Sindh province and help the provinces in benefiting from the thriving tourism economy.
