Tourism promotion bid: No takers for visa on arrival offer

Low promotional efforts to blame for scheme’s failure

ISLAMABAD: There has been no tourist from any of the 24 countries recently offered a visa-on-arrival facility by Pakistan in a bid to revive the struggling tourism industry.

This cold response to Pakistan’s generous proposal has left a question mark on the performance of the interior ministry and Pakistani missions abroad who have failed to promote the visa scheme.

The government, a few months ago, had devised a policy for issuance of group tourist visas on arrival for 30 days to citizens of 24 Tourist Friendly Countries (TFC). The visa may be availed for ‘multiple entry’, with the visit sponsored by designated tour operators.

However, according to official documents of the interior ministry, not a single visa is under consideration as there have been no applicants.

According to sources in the relevant quarters, the ministry designed the policy to promote tourism in the country which is a neglected sector, but the ministry and other relevant quarters, including the country’s commercial attaches at foreign missions, could not sell the offer properly.

All these quarters were supposed to launch promotional campaigns for the tourists to get full benefit of the initiative, said the sources, adding that the new policy had failed to attract any group of tourists from any of the 24 countries.



The countries offered the visa-on-arrival facility include Austria, Belgium, Canada, China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Luxembourg, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, the US and the US.

Yahya Polani, the head of Polani (Pvt) Limited, a designated tour operator for the tourists under the scheme, believes the government initiative may bear fruit only when these measures are highlighted at the embassies and consulates of the concerned countries.

“I am a designated tour operator in this connection, but I don’t know the details of the 24 countries which have been given the facility of visa on arrival for group tourists,” Polani said.

When informed by The Express Tribune about the names of the 24 countries offered the facility, Polani was astonished to learn that Turkey was not included. He said the offer should also be extended to other countries for the sake of promoting tourism and depicting positive image of Pakistan worldwide.

He expressed concern over low number of accommodation facilities available for tourists. He also stressed the need for developing domestic tourism in the country.



According to Polani, 35 to 40 million tourists visit Turkey every year and the tourism industry alone generates $60-$65 million per annum. Likewise, 33 million tourists visit Thailand annually which generates $46 million.

Long ago, Pakistan used to offer visa on arrival for tourists which was later stopped and the country’s tourism has been facing a severe decline for more than a decade. However, many believe that Pakistan with its rich heritage can attract a large number of tourists and generate huge revenue.