Tourist trail leads back to Pakistan

"The only things I knew about Pakistan before I came here were bombing and shooting,'' said Japanese tourist Aya Tsutatani over a sumptuous dinner of local delicacies.

Nibbling a slab of warm nan bread, her friend Katsuvia Miura added many people in their country think Pakistan is a battle zone like neighboring Afghanistan.

Their perceptions changed after they joined a group of 11 Japanese tourists visiting the country's breathtaking northern areas, where four mountain ranges including the Himalaya collide.

Sightseers like Aya and Katsuvia are becoming increasingly common.

The September 11 terror attacks in 2001 and a subsequent US-led military assault which toppled Afghanistan's hardline Taleban regime wiped Pakistan off the world tourist map.

Westerners previously attracted by the country's unspoilt swathes of rugged scenery deserted Pakistan, as foreign governments issued travel advisories asking citizens to avoid visiting the volatile Islamic republic.

Deadly attacks on Christian and Western targets by Islamic militants and the gruesome murder of US journalist Daniel Pearl played out on video across the world did not help either.

Now the government of President Pervez Musharraf wants to promote a softer image of Pakistan and reap tourist dollars again. The country has also profited from being featured last year in the television travel series Himalaya, presented by British comedian Michael Palin and syndicated worldwide.

The figures appear to speak for themselves. Last year Pakistan received 648,000 tourists, up from the 500,000 in 2003, said Tourism Ministry Secretary Salim Gul Sheikh.

The numbers may be inflated, as they are believed to include overseas Pakistanis who have foreign passports and are returning to visit their families.

But Pakistan still compares favorably with Sri Lanka, which expects numbers of tourists to rise to 600,000 despite the impact of December's tsunamis, and unstable Nepal, where numbers dropped to 350,000 in 2004.

The country's tourism hopes rest on its mighty mountains, which attract the bulk of foreign tourists.

Northern Pakistan has five of the world's peaks over 8,000 meters. Majestic K-2, the second highest mountain on the planet after Everest in Nepal, sits atop the region along with 120 other peaks over 7,000 metres.

Officials say foreign mountaineering expeditions are on the rise again, from a low of 30 in 2002 to 73 this year.

However Pakistan still lags behind long-term rival India, which last year launched a campaign to boost arrivals from last year's figure of around 3.5 million - itself relatively small for a country of one billion people.

Tourism officials and agents say Pakistan too could do better.

Tourist visas should be granted upon arrival instead of being subject to red tape and lengthy waits at Pakistan embassies abroad, said Amjad Ayub, executive manager of Waljis Travels, the country's largest operators for incoming tourists, while the government should concentrate less on Western tourists and more on travelers from Asia, particularly India.

The government should also push for the withdrawal of travel advisories, said Ayub. ``We should tell the world that Daniel Pearl was one case, it's gone. It is just one incident, we should ask them how many tourists have been murdered in this country?''

http://www.thestandard.com.hk/stdn/std/World/GF06Wd04.html

Tourists watching polo in Pakistan. Pakistan is getting back on tourist trail after 9/11.



Tourists in Pakistan. Pakistan is getting back on tourist trail after 9/11.

this is excellent news. this is one thing pakistan can truly dominate in. all other countries in the region would be left behind. i can see pakistan earning billions of dollars through tourism. whats needed is a coordinated plan, and for the negative perception to be removed. things will take off themselves.

Salam
Well we need better infrastructure and educate the locals on how much shit load of money they canmake with this.I trulybelieve that we are by far the most scenic and geographically diverse country in the region,if not in the world and this would make oil wealth seem comparable.

Yaar, before I die I want to see Indus civilisation cities such Harappa, Mohenjdaro. I also love to see Lahore palaces and fort.

Anyone been to these places and if so want to share your experiences?

In addition, what places in Pakistan would you recommend or want see before you leave the planet?

K2, Northern Areas, and Gwadar (a very beautiful coastal town) !

Pakistan is such a beautiful country, tourists will love to come, I am sure.

The whole mountainous north is breath taking.I dont hink getting a visa to see harrapa etc shud be that hard now!

Hey i was just wondering,cud we start a national park,a coservation thing in Pk,get some loans from the U.N. and introduce some asiatic lions,tigers,leopards and cheetahs in the plains.Our plains are capable of hosting them as they have for centuries,and they were only hunted to extinction in the past century.We would be helping in the race against extinction,which is strectching Indian resources and creating a tourist attraction at the same time,not to mention saving animals from extinction.
Wish i had a few 100 million $ to spare:P