Worldwide, tourism is a billion dollar industry that has played an important role in the development of most developed countries. There are many countries, including Nepal, which are completely dependent on the tourism industry. The size and importance of the tourism industry at the global level can only be estimated from the fact that every year different countries earn billions of dollars from this industry alone.
Yes, billions of dollars. But how unfortunate that in terms of tourist arrivals and income from tourism, let alone Europe, we do not have a special position in South Asia. However, in terms of attractive places for tourism. Pakistan has superiority over many countries not only in South Asia but also in the developed world. But the governments of the past never bothered to take advantage of it. Due to the lack of interest in promoting this industry and not making the world aware of Pakistan's great tourist destinations through aggressive marketing, we are missing out on billions of dollars that we could have earned from this important industry.
Pakistan was a famous country for tourism in the 1970s. At that time, tourists from many western countries used to come to Pakistan and go to Nepal and India through Swat Valley and Kashmir. However, later due to instability and terrorism incidents in the country, this industry was badly affected. But now again, positive news regarding tourism in Pakistan has been coming out for some time.
The European country Portugal has declared Pakistan as a safe country for tourism. Similarly, France has also relaxed its travel guidelines regarding Pakistan. At the end of 2018, the world-renowned magazine Forbes magazine recommended international tourists to visit Pakistan. Forbes magazine wrote that tourists should visit Hunza, Shigral and Nawam through the Karakoram Highway. These places are located in Gilgit, Baltistan region of Pakistan, which are popular among tourists from all over the world.
In terms of tourism, 2019 started with good news. On the twenty-sixth of the first month, a meeting of the provincial ministers of tourism was held in Islamabad, presided over by Inter-Provincial Communication Minister Dr. Fahmida Mirza, who said that the tourism industry is the fastest growing industry in the world, which any country has. He said that Prime Minister Imran Khan is deeply interested in improving the image of Pakistan abroad and promoting tourism. In the meeting, the promotion of tourism in the country, especially cooperation with Turkey There was a discussion regarding the increase.
Talking to journalists in Islamabad on the same day, he indicated to ease the visa conditions for the citizens of ninety countries including America and Europe. Fahmida Mirzaka said that the government will provide all possible protection to the tourists coming to the country. Citizens of 175 countries will be eligible to get visas online electronically and citizens of 50 countries will be able to enter Pakistan without applying at any Pakistani embassy. You will be able to get a visa after arriving at any airport. He said that America is also included in the list of these countries.
On the twenty-sixth of March, the federal cabinet approved the new civil aviation policy for the promotion of tourism and aviation industry in the country. The journalists were informed about the decisions made in the federal cabinet meeting held under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Imran Khan in Islamabad. While giving a briefing, the Federal Minister of Information at that time, Fawad Chaudhry, said that tourists will be encouraged by reducing travel expenses and increasing facilities to the tourist destinations of Pakistan. Reduction of travel expenses and four billion rupees in taxes for the promotion of tourism. will be exempted and no tax will be levied on air travel by domestic flights.
He said that the cabinet also considered starting a service consisting of helicopters and 40-seater planes for tourist places in the country and now foreigners will not need NOC to visit anywhere in the country. The visa policy has already been changed under the Prime Minister's vision to promote tourism. Now e-Visa facility is being provided for five countries, China, United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Malaysia and United Kingdom. Citizens of 58 countries can get visa on arrival and citizens of 120 other countries will be provided with e-visa facility.
In the last month of April, something seemed to be happening for the promotion of tourism, that is, the first Pakistan Tourism Summit was held. The closing ceremony of this summit was held in the Prime Minister's office on April 4. Speaking on this occasion, the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan said that Pakistan is not second in the world in terms of tourism and natural beauty. The doors of Pakistan are open for tourists, they are ensuring all possible facilities for them including ease of visa, social media has an important role in the promotion of tourism sector.
The combination of mountain tourism, beach tourism, desert tourism, religious tourism in Pakistan will not be found anywhere else in the world. We have changed the visa system of Pakistan and abolished the requirement of NOC for foreign tourists. He said that the government and the tourism task force will provide facilities to the tourists. The rest of the work has to be done by the private sector. Apart from the private sector of the country, Malaysia and other countries are also taking interest in the tourism sector in Pakistan.
In the month of July, it was reported that China's Sichuan University will hold a conference for the promotion of tourism in Pakistan. In the last days of September, a research report was released by Gallup Pakistan, in which it was said that the number of tourists coming to the country in five years will increase. The number of tourists has increased by 315 percent, in which Punjab has the highest number of tourists, i.e. 95 percent. A report titled “Cultural Heritage and Museum Visits in Pakistan” by Gallup Pakistan points out that tourism can be a potential game changer in improving the country's economy.
According to the data of the said report, the arrival of tourists to the tourist and cultural places increased from 2014 and increased by 317 percent from 16 lakh to 66 lakh in 2018. Most of them, 95 percent of the tourists came to Punjab, the largest province of the country. In the same years, the number of tourists in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh continued to increase and decrease. Likewise, the number of tourists visiting museums. There was an increase of almost 50 percent and it increased from 17 lakh people in 2014 to 27 lakh in 2018.
The arrival of foreign tourists in cultural places and museums in Pakistan has also increased more than twice. According to the report, in five years, the number of tourists visiting museums has increased by 130% and the number of visits by foreign tourists has increased by 100%. This increase in the number of domestic tourists was seen in all four provinces. However, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa topped the list with a 250 percent increase in museum visits in 2018.
According to the report, Lahore's Shahi Fort was the most popular cultural destination among tourists, followed by Shalimar Garden in 2016 and 2018. In 2017, the most visited tourist destination was Sheikhupura's Deer Minar. Lahore Museum was the most popular among foreign tourists in 2016 and 2017. However, Taxila Museum was the most visited place in 2018.
Another good news came in September itself that the Prime Minister has established a task force for the promotion of tourism. It was decided to establish a task force. It was also decided to include representatives of all provinces, Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan in this task force. In the meeting, the Prime Minister directed that all the provinces should mark their respective tourist spots.
There was a good news in the promotion of tourism in the month of October as well. On the 9th of this month, the Federal Minister of Education, Vocational Training and National Heritage, Shafqat Mahmood, met the Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism of Turkey Dr. Kem in Ankara. On this occasion, Pakistan and Turkey agreed to establish a center of excellence in the field of tourism and hospitality in Islamabad.
During the meeting, the two ministers also discussed in detail on finding more opportunities to promote mutual cooperation in the fields of education, technical training, culture and tourism. Shafaq Mehmood said that Pakistan is establishing a National Skills University in Islamabad. And the proposed Center of Excellence in Hospitality and Tourism Management will be part of it as its campus.
In the month of September, a well-known Russian tourist, Oleg Oleg, arrived in Pakistan. After visiting the northern regions during his stay in Pakistan for a month, this tourist who ended his trip in Karachi on October 20th, who until now He has traveled to 40 countries, declaring Pakistan as the best country and praised the people here. He said that the people of Pakistan are very hospitable and the travel here is safe and the cost is also low.
Prikhodku Oleg reached Pakistan via Khanjarab Pass from China and from there enjoying the beautiful views of the northern regions, Hunza, Chitral, Gilgit and Kailash Valley, he reached Islamabad from where he traveled by rail to Karachi. It should be clear that this tourist He photographs the countries he travels and presents them on his YouTube channel, which has more than one lakh subscribers. He said that the northern regions of Pakistan are among the most beautiful places in the world. The culture here is very colorful and interesting.
Parikhod said that he did not feel insecure at any time during his stay in Karachi. There is a big difference between reality and hearsay. The negative things spread about Pakistan all over the world are wrong. He said that he will present informative videos about his stay and travel in Pakistan to the Russian people on his YouTube channel. The positive and true face of Pakistan will be exposed, which will help to reduce the distance between Russia and Pakistan rapidly and more tourists will visit Pakistan.
According to him, in the past it was very difficult to obtain a visa for Pakistan, but the current government has made the process of obtaining a visa easy and he did not face any problem in obtaining a visa. Tourists from Russia have a deep interest in the northern regions of Pakistan, but obtaining a visa remains a hurdle. He expressed the hope that a large number of Russian tourists will visit Pakistan after learning about the beautiful places of Pakistan, the better security situation and the easy way of obtaining a visa on his channel.
November 7 was very important in the context of the restoration and development of this industry in the country. On this day, a meeting was held under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Imran Khan regarding the promotion of tourism in the country, in which Special Assistant Syed Zulfikar Abbas Bukhari, Asst. Special Information Dr. Firdous Ashiq Awan and related senior officers participated. In the meeting, a briefing was given regarding the measures taken to promote tourism in the country.
November 7 was very important in the context of the restoration and development of this industry in the country. On this day, a meeting was held under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Imran Khan regarding the promotion of tourism in the country, in which Special Assistant Syed Zulfikar Abbas Bukhari, Asst. Special Information Dr. Firdous Ashiq Awan and related senior officers participated. In the meeting, a briefing was given regarding the measures taken to promote tourism in the country.
The Prime Minister was told that the National Tourism Strategy 2020-2030 has been formulated for the first time in the country's history. Apart from this, the National Tourism Action Plan 2020-2025 has been prepared and a national calendar has been prepared for various events to promote tourism. Reforms have been initiated in PTDC, new website of the institution has been created and online booking system has been introduced. Along with this, the process of approval of various development projects related to tourism is going on. In the meeting, various initiatives for the promotion of tourism in Punjab province and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province were also discussed in detail.
On this occasion, the Prime Minister said that there is a lot of potential for tourism in Pakistan, which needs to be realized. The promotion of this sector will not only provide quality entertainment facilities to the people living in Pakistan, but also people from all over the world. will turn to Pakistan, as a result of which the sectors related to tourism will also be boosted and countless job opportunities will be created for the youth.
A good news regarding the promotion of this industry also came from the Prime Minister's special assistant Zulfi Bukhari on November 17. On that day, the Italian ambassador posted in Pakistan had a special meeting with him and offered to provide technical support for the promotion of tourism in Pakistan. Kush. After this meeting, Zulfi Bukhari said that Italy is ready to increase tourism activities in the northern regions and the promotion of tourism will increase the country's economy by 20 billion dollars.
On this occasion, the Italian ambassador said that the current government is taking serious steps to promote tourism. Italy is willing to cooperate in tourism-related projects in Pakistan and will take more steps to strengthen bilateral relations. Zulfi Bukhari said that important and major decisions have been taken for the promotion of tourism and the work of creating Brand Pakistan will be completed soon. Kartarpur Corridor is an important link for the development of religious tourism in Pakistan. The initiative of Kartarpur has brought positive recognition of Pakistan in the world.
The Prime Minister has asked to speed up the work in the field of agriculture together with the provinces. Gandhara civilization and cultural heritage is an attraction for foreign tourists. Tourists from countries like Korea, Japan and China will come to Pakistan. Zulfiqar Abbas Bukhari said that after the completion of the restructuring of Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation, its forty properties are being made profitable. The process of leasing the properties of PTDC will start soon.
But on November 28, the bad news came that according to the competitiveness index released by the World Economic Forum 2019, Pakistan is ranked 121 out of 140 countries in the tourism sector. A lot has to be done to improve the situation and provide the best services to the tourists. According to this index, among the best tourist countries, Spain is the first, France is the second, Germany is the third, Japan is the fourth, America is the fifth, Great Britain is the sixth, Australia is the seventh, Italy is the eighth, Canada is the ninth and Switzerland is the tenth.
In the index, India is ranked 34th best country for tourists. It is very sad for us that Pakistan is ranked 121st in the list of 129 countries. Finally, Nigeria has been declared as the best country for tourists at the 129th position. It should be remembered that Prime Minister Imran Khan had said on the occasion of the launch of the online visa policy that the northern areas of Pakistan are twice the size of Switzerland. Similarly, in the meeting held on November 7 for the promotion of tourism, the first twelve-year National Tourism Strategy in the history of the country was formed and the National Tourism Action Plan 2020 and 25 have also been prepared.
Tourism is becoming a major source of easy access to countless economic achievements with each passing day. In six decades, it has become one of the fastest growing economic sectors in the world and the number of tourists worldwide. The number of tourists is increasing day by day. In 1950, the number of tourists was only around 25 million, but according to the data collected in 2015, the total number of tourists has reached 1.2 billion. The global economy of this industry It has a share of seven trillion, six billion dollars, which is 10.2 percent of the world's total economy.
On the other hand, in 2016 alone, this industry created new employment opportunities for 209.2 million people, that is, according to job creation, one out of every ten jobs in the world is owed to this sector. This is mainly due to this sector. Transport, communication services, such as mobile phone and internet services, hotels, restaurants, guesthouses, tourist souvenir shops, travel guides, tour operators business and countless other sub-sectors are involved. Economists expect the industry to continue growing at an average rate of 3.3 percent through 2030.
According to UNWTO, the volume of tourism business is leaving behind oil, foodstuff and automobile industry. In 2017, about one billion and thirty million people traveled to different countries of the world for sightseeing. This number was 6.8 percent higher than in 2016. Regarding the arrival of tourists in 2017, France, Spain, USA, China, Italy, Mexico, Great Britain, Turkey, Germany and Thailand were among the top ten countries in the world.
Some European countries and America have always been the most attractive destinations for tourists, but in some time some other countries are also rapidly joining this list and reaping huge economic benefits. Why can't you be included in the list? According to the World Tourism and Travel Council, despite the excellent tourism opportunities in Pakistan, this sector contributes very little to the economic development of the country.
The share of tourism in our economy is only 793 billion rupees, that is, only 2.7 percent of the country's GDP, that is, about eight billion dollars. If we pay even a little attention to this sector, it is not difficult for us to estimate how much the country's economy can benefit in this regard.
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