Tourism in Pakistan

Tourism industry stands out in providing the economic ventures to all the countries around the world. It accounts for 10 per cent of the global GDP worldwide. It is an industry that can in no way be ignored. Numbers of other economic opportunities are associated with it. Income generation, job creation, poverty reduction, foreign exchange earnings and promotion of cross-cultural understanding and cooperation are only to name a few. As indicated by the World Tourism Organization, worldwide receipts from tourism in 2002 were as high as $474 billion, which have exceeded with every passing year. Pakistan has enormous potential for tourism having a long rich history, social variety, geo position and striking scenes. Pakistan is a country enriched with scenic places, impressive hill stations, attractive lakes, tallest mountains, rich civilization, history and legacy. The tourism industry in Pakistan can attract the tourists on number of grounds like religious tourism, archeological and enterprise tourism. But to promote it, there is dire need to rid our country of the biases and the negative image that the world holds about us. Despite the fact that Pakistan has the most appealing landscape on the planet, its social condition isn’t much tourism friendly. But the fact that the tourism authorities keeps on ignoring is this that tourists wouldn’t ever be willing to put their lives at risk for this heavenly beauty. They look for a place where they are provided full security and a setting in which they can enjoy themselves to the full. Another important overlooked part is the international image of the country. Intolerance, radicalism, insecurity, and diseases are highly associated to the image of the country globally which needs to be addressed by the concerned authorities. Image building is a matter of both perception and reality. The authorities need to propagate the reality of Pakistan to mitigate the wrong perception. Administration has given no heed to the tourism industry. The government has not responded to the huge open doors that this area of the economy offers. Though along with government private sector is also expected to play its role but without proper government intervention this area will never thrive.