Hospitality: War on terror hits tourism hard

Other blows include the 2005 earthquake, last year’s flash floods and Swat’s takeover by militants.

ISLAMABAD: Although tourism in Pakistan has suffered several setbacks during the last few years, the industry has surprisingly managed to survive as the country’s numerous sites continue to attract tourists from around the world. Until a few years ago, tourism used to be a major source of revenue for the government. The war on terror served as a major setback as the number of foreign tourists declined drastically after certain western countries started issuing Negative Travel Advisories (NTA) for Pakistan. An NTA is a warning issued by a government to prevent its citizens from visiting certain countries. Other blows to the tourism industry include the 2005 earthquake, last year’s flash floods and Swat’s takeover by militants. Domestic tourism should be promoted in order to encourage foreign tourists to visit Pakistan.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 29^th, 2011.