Pakistan tourism destination

There was a welcome surprise for many people a few days ago when a prestigious travel magazine upgraded Pakistan to its top recommended travel destination for 2020. The ranking was published in Conde Nast Traveller, a London-based award-winning travel magazine. Interestingly, Pakistan was initially ranked lower down the list in fifth place when the rankings were first published a few months ago. This would make it appear that the positive press garnered during the recent visit by the Duke and the Duchess of Cambridge led to increased British interest in the country.

Apart from must-visit tourist destinations within the country, the magazine article highlights some of the recent reforms that make it easier for foreigners to visit the country. The most obvious of those was the relaxation of visa restrictions and improvements in the security situation, which led the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office to remove its travel advisory for the north of the country. The piece reserves special praise for the Gilgit-Baltistan and the north in general while taking note of the number of extremely tall mountains in the region — “more than China and Nepal combined”. Even the drive north on the Karakoram Highway wins praise. The opportunity to mingle with the Kalash people was also mentioned.

Southern parts of the country did not earn much praise, save for Lahore and, indirectly, other cities and towns in Punjab and K-P featuring “Mughal-era architectural masterpieces. While many a Karachiite would be deeply offended that their city did not even get a mention, it is more surprising that areas such as Mohenjo-daro, Harappa, and many other locations with historical value were overlooked. It was probably space restrictions for the article. Still, it would be best if our tourism managers at federal and provincial levels look into what can be done to encourage tourism in such places and eco-tourism elsewhere.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 20^th, 2019.

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