Boosting Pakistan’s tourism industry

• Taking the right steps

“The thing about tourism is that the reality of a place is quite different from the mythology of it.” Thus describing Pakistan using the clichéd connotation of “from Karachi to Kashmir” is surely an understatement that not only downplays the beauteous charms these tourist hotspots have but also fails to do justice with the charms God has bestowed the region with.

The exceedingly and intriguingly varying topography, from high-rise, snow-capped mountains in Chitral, Naran and Gilgit-Baltistan, lush-green hills of Azad Kashmir, and rocky ranges of Sulaiman and Kirthar in Balochistan to fecund plains of Punjab, gushingly torrent rivers and their tributaries, Thar, Thal and Kharan deserts with crisp golden sand glowing under the sun, accessible and serene beaches in Karachi and Gwadar, historical sites like Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa, religious sites including Gurudwaras and temples, and way-too developed metropolitan cities are surely irresistible and fascinating attractions for tourists from across the globe. The ethnic diversity and historical heritage along with geographical variations have much to offer owing to which Lonely Planet in 2010 termed Pakistan as being “tourism’s ‘next big thing’ for more years than we care to remember”. What’s the next big thing in this regard? Pakistan has been ranked the world’s top travel destination for 2018 by the British Backpacker Society. No doubt it described Pakistan as “one of the friendliest countries on earth, with mountain scenery that is beyond anyone’s wildest imagination”.

According to the Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report 2017 by the World Economic Forum, the direct contribution of this industry to Pakistan’s total GDP in 2015 was 2.8 percent, amounting to the value of US$ 328.3 million which will hike up to US$9.5 billion by 2025. It is such an untapped potential of Pakistan which, if harnessed intelligently, can increase Pakistan’s rank from 124 to double digits in terms of foreign tourists that visit the country. The reason why there exists such a possibility is because of the undeniable fact that every part of this stretch of land possesses its own distinct culture, language and heritage, making Pakistan a beautiful and amazing amalgam of diversity.

The purpose of tourism can vary but it generally revolves around leisure, entertainment, pilgrimage, and health. Or, as a British Anglican bishop Robert Runcie identifies, another aim lies in the fact that, “In the middle ages people were tourists because of their religion, whereas now they are tourists because tourism is their religion”. All purposes, however, require common prerequisites that include provision of infrastructure and additional facilities but not at the cost of comprising the features that make these places renowned tourist sites. To illustrate, the thick, dense green forest in Murree and surrounding area has undergone unregulated and brutal deforestation, resulting in loss of its natural beauty and charm. The trees that used to allure tourists from all over the country and had made it a stopover for many visiting from abroad have now been used to construct all the hotels and motels that have given the hill a ‘synthetic’ cover. What use would these be of if all its appeal will eventually be lost? What we actually need is a well-regulated mechanism through which proper facilities could be given to the visitors along with preserving the splendour and heavenliness Nature has gifted us with.

Boosting tourism through such means will yield unexpected results from international perspective if seen through the same lens which is used to value a multiple-entry visa to the United States

Polluting the places is yet another nuisance that has eclipsed the picturesqueness of these sites. Our citizens do not think even once before throwing paper or plastic cups and wrappers in rivers or on ground and somehow manage to become blind to all the dustbins that literally ask people to use them. What keeps us from following the rules? How could the authorities be blamed when we ourselves are at fault? Developing civic sense and keeping these places pollution-free is a responsibility which we, the public, must take up, for no one would ever want to visit mountains of plastic and rivers of leftovers.

Another way through which tourism industry could be promoted in such a country which has lately, but not fully, recovered from terrorism is through the provision of multiple-entry visa to foreign tourists. The reason why it is not at all a bad option despite the dark clouds of terrorism that are still hovering on Pakistan is multi-fold. One aspect is its allowance on the fundamental basis that permits the issuance of single-entry visa. Why would a country ever allow any such person on its land which can prove to be deadly? Does inspection for a single-entry visa differ from that for a multiple-entry visa in any possible aspect? Can we imagine allowing an anti-social element on our land only once and not multiple times? If not multiple times then why even once?

Furthermore, any leftover doubts can be clarified by making this procedure conditional with confirmed air ticket and hotel booking. This was surely not possible a few years back when itineraries could not be scheduled and booked via internet. Now, you can easily book flights and rooms in hotels of your choice without any nuisance. One just has to google the destination and that is pretty much it. This process is additionally facilitated by local start-ups, Travellia and Travel Destination to name a few, which do much of your work and arrange literally everything for you, from routes to stopovers, hotel arrangements and even meals. Thus planning a trip is not an impossibility anymore and this would surely indicate the tourists intentions for our satisfaction.

Recent changes in policies regarding visas as notified by the Civil Aviation Authority in January 2018 has proposed to renew the visa-on-arrival option for group tourists from 24 “tourist-friendly” countries, including China, Finland, Austria, Belgium, France and Greece, “if the tour is organised through designated tour operators in Pakistan”. Through the proposed scheme tourists will be granted visas for 30 days with multiple entries. While the policy has received appreciation from various quarters, security requirement is still a concern. “On one hand we need to complete our security requirements and on the other facilitate legitimate traffic of tourists, investors and businessman,” Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal clarified.

Boosting tourism through such means will yield unexpected results from international perspective if seen through the same lens which is used to value a multiple-entry visa to the United States. Creating value is what we should be focusing on rather than generating space because the former will automatically lead to the latter. Tourism is one thing we all need to focus our attention towards as, in words of our neighbour’s premier Narendra Modi, “Tourism provides employment to the poorest of the poor. Gram seller earns something, auto-rickshaw driver earns something, pakoda seller earns something, and tea seller also earns something”.