'Pakistan went from terrorism to tourism,' says travel blogger Alyne Tamir

Known as 'Dear Alyne', she wishes to break stereotypes through her massive online following

It's no secret that Pakistan is witnessing a revival of its tourism. We've seen an influx of international bloggers come in and share their travels around the country with all their followers, from the wildest landscapes to major cities.

Alyne Tamir, aka Dear Alyne, is one of the foreigners attempting to break stereotypes about Pakistan with her travel blog. After starting it two years ago and having visited over 70 countries since then, the American-Israeli has finally arrived in Pakistan after getting her visa rejected the first time, when she had applied with her Facebook-famous fiance, Nas Daily.

The travel star had a lot to say about Pakistan's international image. In an exclusive interview with The Express Tribune, Alyne wondered what life is like for Pakistani women. "The media doesn’t show much about the women of Pakistan. It is really negative in the US when it does even show up, so I didn’t really have an idea of what it’s like for women here," she said.

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"I think knowing myself just how it is for women, just from travels in the world, in developing countries... I know what it’s like. I know that the upper-class women have a better life and the rural women have it harder. What I’m interested in is the average women and what is life like for her and what can be done to improve that.”

Dear Alyne, thank you for listening to Pakistani women

Since the 30-year-old landed in Pakistan, she has visited Karachi and Lahore. She is currently on her way to experience the striking natural beauty of the northern areas and recently posted a viral Facebook video about how coming here has changed her views about the country and its people.

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"People think that Pakistan is dangerous. They think you'll get kidnapped. This was the general impression of Pakistan that the media has shown is and that we heard over the years," she says in the video. "This is why I'm excited to show you the home of Pakistan; a country that has a lot more to offer than you might have imagined. Once you see its cities, you'll see the nature is incredibly underrated, the geography is undiscovered and the generosity of the people is unparalleled."

Apart from travelling and vlogging, Alyne also runs a women's group on Facebook called Girls Gone Global. She held a meet up during her visit to Karachi, where she discussed some of the problems that women in Pakistan face.



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