Role of e-tourism and CPEC in boosting tourism industry.

Byline: Ahsan Nisar

Pakistan is rich in eye-catching scenic beauty. As the place abounds with diverse culture, traditions, historical places, beautiful valleys, attractive tourist spots, beaches, historical civilizations and much more, Pakistan is an ideal travel destination to visit. Pakistan is home to one of the world's oldest historical civilization that ranges from Mohenjo-Daro, Harappa and Taxila and these prove to be archaeological allures for many local and foreign tourists to witness the great civilizations of all times. The Mughal era and its archaic architecture has also left its mark on the history of the subcontinent.

Monuments like Badshahi Mosque, Jahangir Tomb, Lahore Fort, Shalimar Garden, and the tomb of Nur Jehan are great sources to analyze the realm of the Mughal Empire. Apart from those manmade memorials, Pakistan is also bestowed with God-gifted lush green valleys that range from Swat, Hunza, Naran and Kaghan, to the heaven on earth, Kashmir. The scenic beauty of Pakistan is also complemented by the beaches of Karachi and Gwadar.

Despite such richness in culture, tradition, historical sites, civilization, beautiful valleys, Pakistan has failed miserably to attract a bulky number of the tourists to the country, whereas our neighbors have done impressively. It is rightly said that Pakistan, while being rich in natural resources, lacks management that would befit the tourism industry, which was earlier marred by terrorism and, in the recent past, the negligence from the successive governments. To take the bull by the horns and to boost the tourism industry the present government must place result-oriented measures. Earlier, certain campaigns like 'Amazing Pakistan, 'Visit Pakistan' were launched but unfortunately, they left the task unaccomplished.

Recently, British Airways has announced it would resume direct flights to Pakistan after a 10-year absence, thus becoming the first Western airline to restart such flights. In similarly encouraging developments, Portugal has declared Pakistan safe for travel, while France is also relaxing its advisory policy on tourism in the wake of the improved security situation.

Growth of e-tourism

The number of tourists in Pakistan have exponentially increased in the last 10 years despite the country earning the fourth position in the World Economic Forum's Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report. While the number of tourists in Pakistan circled around 840,000/annum in 2007, it has...