Islamabad;Prime Minister Imran Khan Wednesday said with its various virgin and unexplored beautiful areas, unmatched diversity of mountains, landscapes, deserts, beaches, and religious sites coupled with a new visa regime, Pakistan was an attractive tourism destination and now open for all without any restrictions.
“It was very difficult for foreign tourists to visit some areas including the Northern Areas due to restrictions and the tourists had to get a no objection certificate, we have eased and reversed the situation”, he said while addressing the Pakistan Tourism Summit here at the Prime Minister Office. The prime minister said as it was the private sector which had a pivotal role in promoting tourism in the country, the government on its part would ensure the provision of all facilitation to the tourists and entrepreneurs.
Highlighting the natural beauty of Pakistan including the virgin beaches of Balochistan, he regretted that the country’s elite were used to visiting Europe and England in summer. He referred to his passion of touring the world and visiting the countries like Switzerland, Austria and Africa and said, “The diversity and beauty with a combination of deserts, beaches and mountains bestowed by Allah Almighty to Pakistan is unmatchable in the world.” Imran Khan recalled his first visit of Gilgit Baltistan in the age of 15 as a student in Aitchison College and said he was very much impressed by the beauty of Northern Areas including the Karakoram Range.
“With Suleman, Himaliyan and Karakoram ranges, we have diversity in mountains”, he remarked. The prime minister, who used to often visit Northern Areas along with his friends, recalled how some 20 to 25 years back he got an opportunity of seeing a beautiful lake with pine forests around in the saddle of mountains after their vehicle got out of order at Karakoram Highway and they had to stay in a village near the lake.
He said social media was playing an important role in the promotion of tourism and recalled his visit to Northern Areas three years back during which he found all the hotels booked by tourists as against previously when the tourists were shying away due to terrorism.
“I found the British, European and American Pakistanis who had come there for tourism. Then I realized that we have to explore this potential of tourism”, he added.
The prime minister said the people of Pakistan were very fond of tourism, which he said was also evident from the traffic jams on weekends from Murree Road to Nathiagali.
“We have some 100 such Nathiagalis in Pakisstan”, he remarked and again referred to his aerial visit of a beautiful area in Upper Dir some years back, the video clip of which was uploaded by the PTI team on social media, and that clip attracted thousands of domestic tourists to that otherwise isolated place. The prime minister said the huge potential of tourism in Pakistan was also attractive for investment with high rate of returns.
He said besides profits in hotel business, the enhanced tourism in Nathiagali during the last few years especially during the PTI government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa also caused two to three times raise in the prices of land there. He besides calling for measures to promote tourism, however, urged the relevant authorities including the Apex Committee of Task Force on Tourism to ensure that the natural beauty, local culture and traditions of the tourist areas and sites were not affected.
He also highlighted the importance and potential of religious tourism in Pakistan, which besides having lost of shrines of Sufis and Saints also had sacred and historic sites of Budhism, Hinduism and Sikhism. The prime minister said since Malaysia and Turkey were earning US$ 22 billion and US$ 40 billion, respectively, per annum through tourism, Pakistan by exploring its true potential of tourism could address its issues of less foreign exchange inflows, poverty, unemployment.
He said according to the Statistics Division, the ratio of unemployment and poverty in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa dropped during the last five years of PTI rule, which he added was due to the promotion of tourism. He said the government had allowed the construction of high-rise buildings in the federal capital to protect the country’s environment and green areas, which if not protected would create food security issues as well. He, however, said while allowing the construction of high-rise buildings, the government would follow FAR (Federal Acquisition Regulation) rules like being followed in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates.
Senior Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Minister for Tourism Muhammad Atif Khan in his welcome remarks gave an account of the two-day Pakistan Tourism Summit and the government efforts along with private sector to promote tourism in the country.
