Resurgence Of Tourism In Pakistan
Pakistan is home to six of UNESCO’s World Heritage sites.
With an obvious improvement in the law and order situation and a stark decrease in militant activities, Pakistan is experiencing a gradual surge in the domain of international tourism.
Relaxation of Visa Policies by the government of Pakistan has played a vital role in the revival. The state has begun granting e-visas to people from 175 states, within a time-frame of a week to ten working days.
- Business visas are also being provided to travelers from 98 states as a part of the new visa policies.
- From international travelers to food bloggers, the recent months saw an influx of influencers from across the world into the land of the pure.
China-Pakistan Economic Corridor: Apart from the northern and tribal areas, the area surrounding Gwadar also witnessed an increase in tourist activity due to CPEC. Besides, China has the greatest amount of people undertaking international tourism.
Although the infrastructural inadequacy and security lapses were a major roadblock in this regard, yet CPEC is playing a major role in salvaging the situation. As a part of the plan, the Karakoram Highway, the passage connecting Pakistan with China, will also be expanded. The project will help in boosting the tourism economy and improve the soft image of Pakistan across the world.
Religious Tourism: The administration of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province plans to increase the relatively unnoticed domain of religious tourism in the country.
Restoration of over three thousand holy Buddhist sites as well as historic memorials of the British era located in the province is thus underway.
Development of such sacred areas is expected to attract foreign visitors from China, South Korea and the rest of East Asia. The provincial establishment has lately brought about a mobile application for promoting tourist activities in the area.
Royal visit of the Duke and the Duchess: The royal couple, among other areas, also visited Gilgit-Baltistan region which is considered the most preferred tourist attraction in the country. Annually, more than a couple of million tourists visit the north of the country. In addition, the arrangement of a travel avenue has also been in order in the valley of Kashmir.
The government of Punjab has charted twenty zones for development as a part of its plan to augment tourism. The government plans to bring the tourism sector in the country in harmony with the global standards. Pakistan is endowed with cultural as well as topographical diversity. Such multiplicity is allowing the country to turn into a global tourist attraction.
A version of this article was first published in Dunya News Blog on October 28, 2019.