Social tourists record rise in arrivals

Leisure tourism continues to taper off.

ISLAMABAD: It’s not just the harvest of death and destruction which Pakistan reaped after nature unleashed its fury on its soil in the shape of the 2005 earthquake and the 2010 floods. The two events also opened some windows of opportunities: the tourism sector, for instance, witnessed a spike in arrival of ‘social tourists’ in the years following the two calamities.

The ministry of tourism statistics show that the number of tourists have increased from 798,300 recorded in the year 2005 to 854,905 by the year 2009.

But while ‘social tourists’ registered a rise in their arrivals over the past five years, other factors – Pakistan’s image as a terrorism-scarred nation being the chief one – led to a marked drop in ‘leisure tourists’.

According to Zafar-ullah-Siddiqi, economic analyst at the tourism ministry, a person who enters Pakistan holding an international passport or dual nationality and stays in the country for more than 24 hours is designated as a tourist.

He says that although tourists coming to Pakistan do not necessarily have to come for leisure, those that come for work are categorised as ‘social, business’ visitors.

Ethnic Pakistanis holding international passports or dual nationalities also count as tourists. Siddiqi said that in the aftermath of the earthquake, military operation and floods, social and business tourists came to Pakistan in large numbers.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, a UN official said, “when crisis emerges the window of opportunity also opens up”. The official cited the example of tourists who are here working on several development projects. With an influx of tourists in Pakistan, there are several foreigners roaming in the capital and are complaining about the security situation.

A western diplomat, while acknowledging that social or business tourists are coming in fairly large numbers, said they are nonetheless confined to main cities such as Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi.

He said when he came to Pakistan he aspired to visit the northern areas but security issues did not permit him to go there. Another diplomat said he loves hiking but he is not even allowed up to the Margalla hills.

“I envy those who can roam around freely without any worry,” the diplomat remarked.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 17^th, 2011.