Last week, Pakistan was named top holiday destination for travelers for the year 2020 by the United States-based luxury and lifestyle publication Conde Nast Traveler. The listing follows several positive reviews of the tourist attractions in the country by travel bloggers, YouTube, magazines and adventure clubs. The world has realized the enormous tourism potential in Pakistan; and with government of Pakistan’s willingness to invest in the sector to boost economic growth, the year 2020 could be pivotal in shaping the tourism industry of the country. It could put Pakistan firmly on the adventure map for travel enthusiasts. Last week, travel company Wild Frontiers also named Pakistan as the country to travel to in 2020. In a short announcement, the company tipped Pakistan as the next big tourist destination for a couple of years.
It is worth mentioning that in 2018 the British Backpacker Society had also ranked Pakistan the number one travel destination in the world. Why travel companies and publications are rating Pakistan as the best holiday destination? The reason is that Pakistan’s cultural heritage includes archaeological sites, stupas, forts, shrines, tombs, buildings, monuments, and places of worship. Tourists have keen interest in seeing remains of several ancient civilizations. The most famous is Indus Valley Civilization dating back to 3,000 BC – its sites are Moenjodaro (Sindh), Harrappa (Punjab) and Buddhist civilization in the north. The historic monuments represent various periods of our history and demonstrate the rich cultural milieu of the land, which is a great attraction for tourists.
Pakistan has historic Hindu temples in Tharparkar (Sindh) and Punjab, Sultanante period monuments in Makli Tombs, Thatta, in Multan and Uch Sharif, and Mughal monuments in Thatta, Multan and Lahore etc. From the mighty stretches of the Karakorams in the North to the vast alluvial delta of the Indus River in the South make Pakistan a land of high adventure for tourists including trekking, mountaineering and water rafting etc. It has mountain and desert jeep safaris as well as camel and yak safaris. High Himalayas, Karakoram and the Hindukush ranges with their alpine meadows are also tourists’ attractions. Moreover, various cuisines are also derived from Pakistan’s ethnic and cultural diversity, which offer unique culinary art praised by the foreigners.
Last but not the least, the Kartarpur Corridor is attracting the attention of observers who see it as a ‘unique experiment’ at a time when mutual ties between India and Pakistan are at their lowest. Following Prime Minister Imran Khan’s vision, the government aimed at promoting religious tourism along with international standards,” said member of provincial assembly (MPA) Mahinder Pall Singh, who is also a member of the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB). “As the Kartarpur Corridor project has garnered global attention in terms of both tourism and heritage value, the government has planned to promote this project as a hub of investment opportunity,” he said.
This project has immense heritage and cultural value, and consequently, has the potential to attract local and foreign investment. The government has identified that the project has a huge potential for the hospitality industry along with developing tourism in the region. In September, The Turkish government said that it would soon initiate a project of skills development in Pakistan aimed at producing skilled workforce for the local industry of hotel and tourism. The plan to establish a state-of-the-art Centre of Excellence for Hospitality and Construction in Pakistan is underway in that regard, said Executive Director National Vocational and Technical Training Commission (NAVTTC) Dr. Nasir Khan.
During PM Imran Khan’s visit to Saudi Arabia, he was informed that a delegation of investors would visit Pakistan to invest in tourism industry, which will give boost to the tourism in Pakistan.
