PAKISTAN will mark World Tourism Day on Sunday with the usual seminars, exhibitions and other official events.
However, the reality is that for the past few years foreign tourist arrivals – and the accompanying foreign exchange tourists bring – have been falling in Pakistan. There are a number of reasons for this, the foremost being the volatile security situation in the country.
The global economic recession, poor tourist infrastructure and apathy at the government level are other factors that have exacerbated the situation. Pakistan has generated bad press internationally, with many countries advising their citizens not to come here. It must be said that this negative reputation isn’t exactly unearned.
Until recently Fazlullah and his minions were freely stomping around the former tourist hub of Swat, while suicide bombings and other acts of violence in various parts of the country continue even now. Even relatively peaceful areas such as Gilgit-Baltistan have been affected as people stay away due to news of militant violence elsewhere.
Tourism without security is a non-starter. If the government wants tourists – both foreign and domestic – to visit Pakistan’s natural and historical wonders and to thus increase revenue from tourism, it must ensure peace and security.
No one will be inclined to visit Pakistan with images of gun-toting Taliban militants and the aftermath of suicide bombings being flashed across the international media. And when talking of image, many have also criticised the appointment of a cleric as the federal tourism minister. Tourist figures from 2003-06 are quite respectable and prove that, with relative calm prevailing, people will indeed visit the country. Other than security, the government must go beyond rhetoric and seriously think about upgrading the tourism infrastructure to make it attractive to international travellers as well as domestic visitors. There does exist a National Tourism Policy. The question – as always – is that of implementation.
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