Tapping the tourist rupee

Moves are afoot to re-energise the tourism component of the operations of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA). There is an operational congruence with the Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC) which was highlighted in a meeting between the MD of PTDC and representatives of PIA on 25th October. It was revealed that PIA is to start air safaris to promote the tourism industry. The national flag carrier was also said to have restored routes it had abandoned in various parts of the country.

Any improvement not only in the range of services operated by PIA but also in the tarnished image it has acquired is welcome. The ‘safari’ routes would take in Gilgit and Skardu both of which offer some of the most breathtaking scenery in the world, and tourists may be attracted to ‘flight only’ packages, perhaps with enhanced dining options and an on-board commentary. There has been a considerable increase in tourism volume in Gilgit-Baltistan in the last two years, and PIA has found its services booked well in advance to both Skardu and Gilgit, but they are not the only places that it is interesting to fly over. It is well within the realms of possibility that attractive packages can be put together cooperatively by PIA and PTDC using a mix of transport options in the air and on the ground, lacing together a range of destinations that have hitherto been underexploited.

The tourism and leisure travel market in Pakistan is going to expand as the middle class expands, and may be persuaded to spend some of its income in-country if what is on offer is competitively priced and offers a tourist/travel experience that is as good as what may be offered travelling internationally. Such packages are going to be attractive to foreign tourists as well, some of whom are beginning to return as the security situation perceptibly improves. Air-safaris, attractively made and marketed, have the potential to be a profitable niche for PIA — a development nobody is going to complain about.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 28^th, 2016.

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