Tourism withering away

Tourism could again make money, bolster our reputation, but legislation needs updating, marketing strategy developed

Difficult as it may seem to be to believe, Pakistan was a thriving tourist destination in the 1960s and 1970s. The Northern Areas were thronged with Europeans and Americans passing along the Hippy Trail. There was even something of a ‘beach culture’ in Karachi and a whiff of the avant-garde about Lahore as a destination. Chitral and Quetta were popular, as were the beaches of Gwadar. The tourism industry was then a money-spinner for all involved. Pakistan in 2014, however, is a tourism desert. As ever when it comes to world rankings, we are close to the bottom of the list, and on the World Economic Forum’s Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index, we are ranked at 122 out of 140 countries. Foreign tourism is at its lowest ebb ever and domestic tourism is in the doldrums. The reason is simple and blindingly obvious: the security situation.

Perceptions of security in Pakistan are almost universally negative. This is a misrepresentation of reality, as much of the country is no more unsafe than parts of London or New York after dark at the weekend — but this is rarely reported. For most of the world — and even for many Pakistanis who are often no better informed than foreigners — this is a place of darkness, bombs, warfare and an abrasive hostility to ‘foreigners’. This image is nurtured by the media and it is small wonder that the tourism industry is on its knees. That said, many of what were prime destinations for tourists now no longer are, and it is a fact that foreigners have been targeted and killed. Globally and despite economic downturn, the tourism industry is flourishing. The South Asian sector is worth $5.4 billion annually, and Pakistan should be taking a slice of that pie. Tourism could again make money and bolster our tarnished reputation, but for that, legislation needs updating and a marketing strategy developed. Pakistan does not have to be a pariah state — but it needs to make some different choices if it is not to be.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 4^th, 2014.

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