In a video that is making rounds on social media, an American tourist who is currently in Pakistan criticised the local media for portraying a “negative image of the country” to the outsiders.
The tourist who was seen speaking to the media appreciated the beauty of the country and said that “not a lot people from the United States of America would come to Pakistan as tourists as they think it is a dangerous place”.
“The problem with that is what the media is portraying,” he said, adding that Mexico is more dangerous than Pakistan.
He further urged the authorities to put more emphasis and effort into promoting tourism as it would “do a great deal of good for this country”.
He further said that this step would help change the perception of the country to the outsiders and might also help in bringing foreign investment along with other perks.
“I am a champion of increasing tourism of this country as a US citizen and I just challenge everyone to do the same. You are missing out,” he concluded.
Potentially restarting tourism has been one of the most talked about parts of new Prime Minister Imran Khan’s push to create an Islamic welfare state in Pakistan, but visitors to the country often complain of an arduous visa process.
Pakistan was last a prominent tourist destination in the 1970s when the “hippie trail” brought Western travellers through the apricot and walnut orchards of the Swat Valley and Kashmir on their way to India and Nepal.
Since then, a deteriorating security situation chipped away at the number of visitors.
Following Pakistan’s participation in the US-led war in Afghanistan after the September 11, 2001 attacks in New York and Washington, the country was rocked by a decade of regular large-scale attacks.
Security has since improved dramatically, with attacks down sharply in the country of 208 million people.