Tourism in Pakistan

We should promote domestic tourism and protect tourist sites, so when security situation improves we can cash in.

It can be hard to remember now, but there was a time when Pakistan was a prime tourist destination. In the 1960s and 1970s, we were part of the vaunted hippie trail when backpackers from Europe would cross the Khyber Pass and make their way through Peshawar, Chitral and Karachi. Now, as ranked by the World Economic Forum’s Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index, we are 122 out of 140 countries for tourism. That is actually an improvement of three ranking points from last year but if this is a victory for us, it is purely a pyrrhic one. There are many reasons for the decline in tourism but none looms larger than the insecurity that plagues the country. From Kashmir to the Northern Areas and from Fata to Swat, it simply isn’t safe for foreigners to come and experience the best the country has to offer.

The security issue would bedevil any country trying to boost tourism but our governments over the years have scarcely helped matters. Many of our museums lie virtually empty because our heritage has been plundered by private collectors who are easily able to smuggle items out of the country or display them at home. The ancient civilisations of Mohenjodaro and Harappa have not received the government attention they should and so are crumbling before our very eyes. It took the government over 10 years to submit a list of heritage sites to Unesco so that it could receive funding for maintenance and upkeep. Even then, it left out many Mughal palaces, forts and tombs. A separate tourism ministry was established in 2004 to promote tourism in the country but nearly 10 years in, it is safe to say that it hasn’t been a success at all.

Of course, as long as most foreign countries advise their citizens not to travel to Pakistan, there is little we can do to boost tourism. When even cultural activities and sporting events can no longer attract foreigners, we are clearly in trouble. But what we should be doing is promoting domestic tourism and ensuring that tourist sites are taken care of so that if the security situation does improve we are in a better position to cash in.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 9^th, 2013.