Tourism in Pakistan
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Alamgiri Gate at Lahore Fort, Punjab .
Tourism in Pakistan is a growing industry. 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". 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.[10] According to the World Travel and Tourism Council, the direct contribution of travel and tourism to Pakistan's GDP in 2016 was Rs. 793 billion (equivalent to Rs. 4.0 trillion or US$14 billion in 2021), constituting 2.7% of the total GDP.[11] By 2025, the government predicts tourism will contribute Rs. 1 trillion (US$3.5 billion) to the Pakistani economy.[12] In October 2006, one year after the Karimabad and Lake Saiful Muluk. To promote the country's cultural heritage, in 2007, Pakistan launched the "Visit Pakistan" marketing campaign that involved events including fairs, religious festivals, regional sporting events, arts and craft shows, folk festivals and openings of historical museums.[14]
In 2013, over half a million tourists visited Pakistan, contributing $298 million; these figures have since risen to over 6.6 million tourists in 2018.[15] By comparison, Pakistan's domestic tourism industry is estimated at 50 million tourists who travel in the country on short trips usually between May and August.[16] The largest inflow of tourists are from the United Kingdom, followed by the United States, India and China.[17][18] OverviewMajor tourist attractions in Pakistan include the ruin of ]In the 1960s Pakistan was part of the " Islamized Pakistan under dictator Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq. Due to subsequent Taliban and al-Qaeda influence, especially after the September 11 attacks, westerners became the target of local branches of those terror organizations.[21] Domestic tourism also slowed as a result of terrorism and anti-terror military operations which had taken the lives of more than 65,000 in Pakistan between 2001 and 2018.[21]
Image and influencers
Andreas Ferrarese, Italian ambassador to Pakistan[22] The upsurge in tourism in the past few years has been aided by the Government of Pakistan's recent decision to end mandatory Prime Minister Imran Khan, the Government of Pakistan has encouraged this tourism.[21] For 2020 Forbes listed in top ten tourist destinations where as Condé Nast Traveller went ahead to rank Pakistan on first number as a tourist destination.[21] Shackle says, while some Pakistanis find pride in recruited influencer driven image making, other Pakistanis are bewildered.[21] According to Shackle some critics believe that promotion of tourism is just mere attempt of deflecting domestic & international attention from realities of money laundering, corruption, lack of democracy and human rights issues in Pakistan.[21]
Shackle says Pakistan has a 'White (Gora) complex' just for mere being white travelers Pakistanis are ever ready to provide preferential treatment along with free mass media and social media exposure.[21] According to Amtul Baweja and Fahad Tariq, it is okay if foreign tourist vloggers are given good treatment but the same treatment is not given to local vloggers.[21] Many liberals and feminists in Pakistan express their reservations about the misrepresentation of Pakistan's objective reality regarding the status of women in Pakistan by western white travel influencers.
anthropogenic crisis Pakistan needs an image makeover from it being known as the place of violence, conflict, terrorism and the Government of Pakistan has lately attempted some repositioning in the direction of an image makeover.[27] Tazayian Sayira (2022) study says, while Quran encourages traveling, but in practice very trying constraints are placed on the participation of women in tourism in Muslim-majority countries like Pakistan and many of these countries women are restrained from traveling without a close male relative called mahram (i.e. father, non-cousin brother, son), though women are main behind the scene contributors in service provisions like food, laundry, souvenir production, the labor that most times presumed as unpaid routine family work.[27]
Tourist visasIn 2019, Pakistan increased the availability of travel visas in a bid to increase tourism to the country. The new program grants visas on arrival to travelers from 50 countries, including the United States. Citizens of another 175 countries can apply for visas on the internet. Previously, visas could only be obtained from Pakistani embassies abroad.[28]
Tourism by province and territoryPakistan is subdivided into provinces Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.[29]
Gilgit-BaltistanBalochistanHellenistic civilisation.[32]
Jirga Hall has a collection of pieces that were found at the archaeological sites of Mehrgarh, Nasshero and Pirak. The annual Sibi Festival includes a Horse and Cattle Show.[33]
The province includes several largest port in the province and is based near the ancient area of Makran. Pasni is a medium-sized town that is known for fishing. Along the Makran Coastal Highway, there are several rock formations, as well as Kund Malir and the Hingol National Park .
Sindh
Mirpurkhas where a Buddhist stupa was excavated.
The first arrival of Bhambore and Garhi Khuda Bakhsh .
Karachi is the provincial capital of the province and Manora Island .
The province forms the basin of the Manchar Lake and Bakri Waro Lake. Kirthar National Park is a protected reserve for several wildlife species. The Thar Desert is also located in the province which adjoins Punjab and India. The Great Rann of Kutch is a protected wetland site in the province, which has two wildlife sanctuaries; the Rann of Kutch Wildlife Sanctuary and the Nara Desert Wildlife Sanctuary. The Sukkur Barrage was built to alleviate famines caused by lack of rain.
Napier Mole Bridge, which is historically significant to the city, and the 19th-century Native Jetty Bridge.[34]
Khyber PakhtunkhwaSehri Bahlol .
The province's capital city is Mohabbat Khan Mosque, old city of Sethi Mohallah, Jamrud Fort, the Sphola Stupa and the market at Qissa Khwani Bazaar. The city Dera Ismail Khan is known as the entrance into the province from Punjab and Balochistan, and for its Hindu ruins at Kafir Kot. Mardan city has Buddhist ruins at Shahbaz Garhi .
In the north of the province is the
Several mountain passes run through the province. One of the most famous is the ranges.Punjab
Mughals took control of the region and ruled its land for several centuries. The Mughal heritage remained strong in Punjab with a large number of forts, tombs and monuments sintact today. The Durrani Empire ruled Punjab after the fall of the Mughal Empire for a short period following the rise of the Sikh Empire. The strong control of the Sikhs also left a number of sites that have remained intact throughout Punjab. The British Raj took control of the region until the independence .
Tourism in Punjab is regulated by the Tourism Development Corporation of Punjab. Khewra Salt Mines is one of the oldest mines in South Asia. Faisalabad's clock tower and eight bazaars were designed to represent the Union Jack.[38]
The province's southward is arid. Nawabs. The Lal Suhanra National Park is a major zoological garden on the outskirts of the city.
Azad KashmirNeelum Valley is the highest peak in the province. Ganga Choti is a peak in Bagh.[39] The province is fertile, green and mountainous.[40]
Islamabad Capital TerritorySimli Lake and Fatima Jinnah Park are among the tourist attractions in the territory.[41][42] It is ranked as the second most-beautiful capital city in the world.[43]
UNESCO World Heritage SitesThe table lists information about each World Heritage Site in Pakistan.
Tentative listIn 2004, the Ministry of Tourism pushed forward for new sites in Pakistan to become a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In total, 26 sites are awaiting to be categorised as of 2016 which include:[50][51]
Other landmarksOther landmarks and structures have not yet made the UNESCO Tentative List. Long before the creation of Pakistan after its partition from India in 1947, there existed diverse cultures and religions in the undivided India. India was the centre of various wars that led to several dynasties and tribes ruling its lands. They left behind landmarks, some of which have become national icons in Pakistan now whilst others need the attention of concerned authorities. Some of these include:
Post-independence Pakistan retained its heritage by constructing sites to commemorate its independence by blending styles and influences from the past. Some of these include:
Tourism under Prime Minister Imran KhanFormer Prime Minister Imran Khan planned to boost tourism to create millions of jobs.[52] In his first television address to the nation, he said; "Pakistan has huge tourism potential. We will promote tourism to strengthen the economy".[52] The tourism industry in Pakistan has witnessed a boom as law and order has improved across the country in the last five years. The country of 235 million is known for its hospitality globally. Military operations launched by Pakistan armed forces during 2013–2017 against militants wiped out terrorism and militancy across the country, especially in northern areas, paving the way for the revival of tourism. The Government of Pakistan has also eased the country's visa policy, which has played a key role in attracting a large number of foreign tourists.[52] "We are improving processes to issue tourist visas, in particular for groups and champion initiatives, which strengthen our visa on arrival program and eliminate NoC condition for high potential tourist destinations besides providing four-star accommodation at affordable cost", said Fawad Chaudhry, a minister in government.[52] He also said; "peace had been restored and the local and foreign tourists were coming in large numbers to visit the scenic places and heritage sites".[53]
The Imran Khan government organised the Pakistan Tourism Summit, which occurred on 2 and 3 April 2019 at Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Interior Minister Shehryar Afridi, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry, and some well-known international bloggers, who spoke about their experiences during the panel discussion and answered questions from the participants.[54] Due to these measures, 1.9 million tourists visited Pakistan in 2018 and as of 2020, tourism in the country has increased by more than 300%.[3]
List of tourist regions and sitesIn October 2006, The Guardian released what it described as "The top five tourist sites in Pakistan".[55] Pakistan was ranked 47 out of 200 countries in an analysis of the World Travel and Tourism Council's (WTTC) growth figures by Lovehomeswap.com,[56] which said, "If the country becomes more peaceful, visitor numbers are predicted to rise".[57][58]
Ski resorts and areas
Valleys
Lakes
Waterfalls
National Parks
DataArrivals by year1990s
2000s
2010s
GalleryGilgit Baltistan
Balochistan
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Punjab
SindhAzad Kashmir
Islamabad Capital Territory
Visa policy of PakistanVisitors to Pakistan typically must obtain a visa from one of the Pakistani diplomatic missions .
Indians are only eligible for business, pilgrim or Visitor Visas to Pakistan. The pilgrim VISA allows Indians to visit 15 sites in Pakistan for religious tourism – they will be given a visitor visa. The Visitor Visa is granted if you have close family members or friends in Pakistan and you can only visit a maximum of 5 cities for 3 months.[65] See also
References
Further reading
External linksWikivoyage has a travel guide for Pakistan. Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tourism in Pakistan.
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