Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has plans to start construction of a planetarium and an aviation gallery near the heritage site of Moen jo Daro by the end of October or early November.
PIA spokesperson Anisa Rehman said that the aim was to promote tourism. “The government has allotted the land free of charge to PIA,” she said.
Moen jo Daro already has a museum on its premises. It is a popular tourist and picnic spot for people all over the country, especially rural Sindh and abroad. “However, due to the law and order problem in the country, people from abroad and other cities have stopped going there,” she said. “Therefore PIA decided to promote the destination.”
The airline says daily flights to Moen jo Daro are already in place and the airline’s promotion drive would make this domestic route profitable.
PIA has three planetariums, including one each in Karachi, Lahore and Peshawar. The one in Peshawar is not reportedly in working condition.
According to a handout issued by PIA, its deputy managing director, Salim Sayani, had made the announcement at a conference this week in Karachi on the “Pakistan Aviation and Travel Industry: Synergy and Growth”. Sayani gave an elaborate presentation on rebranding Pakistan through innovation in the travel industry.
He discussed the annual arrival of passengers (share of countries in percentage terms) within the region. India has a 48% share in the regional tourism industry whereas Pakistan has 4%, Sri Lanka 7%, Bangladesh 4%, Maldives 8% and Iran 24%.
There was a time when Pakistan ranked among the top 25 tourist destinations in the world.
However since 9/11, the ranking has continued to decline for the last 10 years. Also affecting us have been the natural disasters such as the earthquake and the floods of 2010 and the security situation. Pakistan is the sixth largest country in the world by population but its tourists number less than 100,000.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 17th, 2011.
COMMENTS (11)
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Try buying a few planes with that money instead? Privatize it and turn it into a budget airline along the lines of AirAsia etc.
PIA is struggling to survive, soon it will be a candidate for burial in Moin-Jo-Daro!
They need to make their priorities right. Btw PIA built a building for planetarium some fifteen years ago here in Peshawar but since then its lying vacant. Waste of money.
what a load of bull... they need to privatize PIA asap!
Good move but must not be the priority. Resolve the passengers' greivances and stop hiring incompetent people.
Btw, which tourist are they expecting at these sights? Foreignors? So that they are harrased and accused of being CIA Spies?
Great news, cant wait for this one, moenjodaro hee we come.
All these sites, Mohen jo Daro, Taxila, Harrappa belongs to Indian civilization and Hindu places of learning, thousands of years earlier than our religion and its concept even came into existence in barren deserts of middle east. Entire northern pak was the kingdom of Gandhar, mentioned even in mahabharat 3500 BC, and where hinduism and buddhism flourished at a time when our forefathers were nomads on camels wandering in the deserts and fighting like primitives. On one hand we hate everything indian and on the other hand leave no stone unturned to earn money out of it. What duplicity and lack of gratitude. I feel ashamed as a citizen.
First upgrade and fix the planetarium in Karachi. Still using the same old equipment and presentation made when this was inaugurated.
And instead of investing in planetarium at Moen jo Daro, give that money to invest in fixing the ruins.
Errrr....what!!! Who exactly is going to visit it? Who is going to move there to maintain it? Why not in a major city? No disrespect to Moen Ja Daro intended!