More tourists visit Pakistan
On average, 50 per cent more foreigners visit museums than those who visit cultural sites
PHOTO: REUTERS
A report that tourist traffic at cultural sites in Pakistan has seen a massive increase of 317 per cent over the past five years should not come much as a surprise given the fact that the country is an ancient land full of places of historical and cultural significance. What is needed is to work properly in public relations and providing an atmosphere conducive to attracting tourists. The trend shows that things are going well in the right direction. The report, titled Cultural Heritage and Museum Visits in Pakistan by Gallup Pakistan, a research organisation affiliated with Gallup International Association, shows that tourism has the potential to revitalise the struggling economy of the country. From 1.6 million visits in 2014, the tourist traffic at cultural sites increased to 6.6 million in 2018. Punjab contributed around 95 per cent of the tourist traffic. The tourist traffic at museum sites rose from 1.7m visits in 2014 to around 2.7m in 2018. Total visits by foreigners increased two-fold for both cultural and museum sites. Over the past five years, visits by foreigners to museums rose by around 130 per cent whereas foreigner visits to cultural sites increased by 100 per cent. In the fiver-year period, museums remained more popular among foreign visitors. On average, 50 per cent more foreigners visited museums than those who visited cultural sites. The trend among all four provinces for total foreigner visits saw a gradual increase, with K-P registering the highest increase where the number of museum visits in 2018 increased by 250 per cent. From 2016 to 2018, Taxila museum was the most liked cultural sites for foreigners. A sizable number of foreigners also visited Moen Jo Daro.
The increasing number of tourists visiting Pakistan will help build a better image of the country considering the saying, ‘To travel is to discover that people are wrong about other countries.’ There is another adage, however, ‘Travel makes a wise man better, and a fool worse.’
Published in The Express Tribune, October 1st, 2019.
The increasing number of tourists visiting Pakistan will help build a better image of the country considering the saying, ‘To travel is to discover that people are wrong about other countries.’ There is another adage, however, ‘Travel makes a wise man better, and a fool worse.’
Published in The Express Tribune, October 1st, 2019.