by Fraaz Mahmud Kasuri
Nobody can stop a country from making progress if it attractive enough for the tourists. All that is needed is to utilize this tourism potential in a proper and useful way. Pakistan, the beloved homeland, is also one of those countries where tourism can be promoted for not only local but foreign tourists as well. God has been very kind to our country as it has got all the natural resources and opportunities a piece of land can ever wish for. From desserts to oceans and from mountains to plateaus, everything is originally set in the natural landscape of the country. Other attractions which include food, dresses and artisanal work are also globally used and admired. If everything is so beautifully designed and aligned, why are we not earning much from our tourism sector? The only answer is ‘non-seriousness on the part of the government s who have always been ignoring or underestimating the power of this wonderful sector. Despite having all the tourism-related attractions in the country, no government has ever thought of making maximum money from this sector. Nobody has ever thought of promoting it as a brand at global level. In the period of last government, it was decided to launch brand Pakistan initiative to let the world know more about Pakistan but the political atmosphere did not let this happen.
Now, when the new government is in office and the things are running smoothly, the branding and promotion of tourism can be done in a systematic way. The best thing is that new Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif is a dynamic personality and if he takes serious interest in promoting tourism in Pakistan, he can definitely make a difference with the help of his vibrant approach. The very first thing that the new government must do is to preserve, restore and look after its cultural heritage. It should then take care of its natural beauty and take concrete steps to promote the culture of responsible tourism. It should also work on better intra city connectivity for easy and comfortable transportation. It should also introduce free internet facility at all the tourist spots so that the tourists may tell their stories live to the world. It should introduce proper legislation for the tourists and tour operators to avoid any unwanted incident. It should also promote the culture of hospitality and tourism education in an even more effective way so that qualified young generation may join this field. After taking all the necessary steps, the government should finally go for branding tourism in Pakistan by launching a proper slogan just like India promotes its tourism with the tagline ‘Incredible India’, Australia does the same with the tagline ‘There’s Nothing Like Australia’ while Turkey promotes its tourism with the slogan ‘Be Our Guest’.
Now, all the eyes are on Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif that how he would make use of tourism sector to add revenue to the national exchequer. There is a big support to him from Punjab as his son Hamza Shahbaz has become the chief minister of the biggest province of the country and a lot of tourism activities are performed in this province. It is being anxiously expected from both Prime Minister Shahbaz Shrif and Punjab Chief Minister Hamza Shahbaz to take the tourism sector in Pakistan to new heights with the help of proper planning and better coordination.

Facts & Figures (Inset)
In 2010, Lonely Planet termed Pakistan “tourism’s ‘next big thing’ for more years than we care to remember”. Pakistan was ranked The Best Holiday Destination for 2020 and was also declared the third-highest potential adventure destination in the world for 2020. With the improvement in country’s security situation, tourism has increased by more than 300%. The government has also launched online visa services for 175 countries and 50 countries were offered visa on arrival, making a visit to Pakistan much easier. With the help of all the best things done for the tourism industry in Pakistan, the country received an influx of travel vloggers, who showed the beauty of the country, especially the northern areas Hunza and Skardu to the world.
In 2018, the British Backpacker Society ranked Pakistan the world’s top adventure travel destination, describing the country as “one of the friendliest countries on earth, with mountain scenery that is beyond anyone’s wildest imagination”. Forbes ranked Pakistan as one of the ‘coolest places’ to visit in 2019. The World Economic Forum’s Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report placed Pakistan in the top 25 per cent of global destinations for its World Heritage sites, which range from the mangroves in the Indus delta to the Indus Valley Civilization sites including Mohenjo-daro and Harappa.
According to the World Economic Forum’s Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report 2017, the direct contribution of travel and tourism to Pakistan’s GDP in 2015 was US$328.3 million, constituting 2.8% of the total GDP. According to the World Travel and Tourism Council, the direct contribution of travel and tourism to Pakistan’s GDP in 2016 was US$7.6 billion (PKR 793.0 billion), constituting 2.7% of the total GDP. By 2025, the government predicts tourism will contribute ₨1 trillion (US$6.2 billion) to the Pakistani economy.
It is pertinent to mention here that, in 2017, an estimated 1.7 million foreigners visited Pakistan. The number further grew in the following years, pre-pandemic. As per World Travel and Tourism Council’s (WTTC) forecast, Pakistan’s tourism sector would grow to over $40 billion within a decade. Now, when Covid-19 is almost over and maximum population of the world is vaccinated, we need to resume the tourism activities in full swing so that maximum tourists may visit the country and get a positive impression about us.