The tourism dream

It may be hard to see close up inside Pakistan, but there seems to be some cautious optimism surrounding the country globally. The UK government changing its travel advisory for Pakistan is a case in point.

Announced due to ‘an improved security situation’, the development comes as welcome news. It also presents something of an opportunity, something which Prime Minister Imran Khan has already picked up. In a post on Twitter, the premier was optimistic that the change in travel advice would address Pakistan’s employment woes and current account deficit by bringing in ‘tourism and investment’.

While it certainly could help ease some of our economic burden, if our past is any guide, we as a nation have a habit of jumping too far ahead in terms of expectations and not enough in tangible effort to make would-be opportunities pay off. Our GSP Plus experience is one of the most recent such episodes which should prompt us, our leaders especially, to reflect.

Before we get ahead of ourselves again, it is important to recontextualise the UK government’s move. On its own, a change in travel advice for UK residents is unlikely to have any significant effect on Pakistan’s tourism sector. All it does is open a door.

If we are to make the most of it, the government needs to think long and hard about its approach to tourism. If it is as serious about the sector as it says it is, it needs to work on aggressively marketing Pakistan as a tourism destination.

It would do well, for starters, to commission a multimedia branding exercise along the lines of those carried out by India and Malaysia to name a few. The government would also need to engage its missions abroad to make a concerted push to draw in visitors. Pakistan also currently lacks the infrastructure to handle even a nascent tourism industry.

Finally, whoever is in power also needs to realise one thing. So long as the government is seen as being held hostage by extremist whims, Pakistan will remain a hard sell to any visitors.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 27^th, 2020.

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