Enhanced anti-terrorism safety oversight allows us to focus on the country’s amazing beauty and cultural diversity. In March 2019, Pakistan launched an e-visa policy.
Prime Minister Imran Khan said in his speech at the opening ceremony: “Pakistan is opening its doors to the world, which reflects the new confidence that the security situation has changed dramatically and Pakistan can now be sure.”
After the implementation of this policy, the number of visitors to Pakistan has increased significantly. Federal Minister Shahryar Khan Afridi told the media hotline: “Pakistan’s e-visa policy is open to citizens in 175 countries.” The media has domestic operations in implementing the policy and is now responsible for overseeing Drug and crime sector. “Visitors seeking a visa can take them home without visiting the Pakistani embassy or consulate.”
Afridi added that the system also provides an “arrival visa” procedure for other citizens arriving as tourists.
He said: “Foreigners from India can use visas as soon as they travel to religious tourism.”
Afridi continued: “We have eliminated the cumbersome barriers to the visa process, making it easy for visitors from all over the world to experience the breathtaking natural beauty of Pakistan.” “To attract more visitors, the government has also withdrawn the “No Objection Certificate“. “Foreigners can move freely and enjoy every corner of Pakistan.”
The Ministry of Tourism of Pakistan was dissolved in 2012 after the constitution was amended and its authority was transferred to the Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC) with the main objective of developing and promoting tourism in the country.
PTDC operates several hotels and motels in unique and remote areas of northern and southern Pakistan. At the same time, there are dozens of private hotels in these areas, some of which are two-star and some of which are three-star. Five-star hotels can be used in Murree, Muzaffarabad and other destinations such as Quetta, Peshawar, Lahore, Naran, Kagan, Kalam and Karachi.
According to available data, about 2.5 million foreigners travelled to Pakistan in 2017, and in 2010, 3.2 million foreigners travelled to Pakistan. The significant increase in the number of foreign visitors indicates that the security situation in the country is largely stable and secure. “Foreign tourists, especially Westerners, are hiking, climbing and hiking in northern Pakistan,” Media Line told Rana Mukhtar, director of media relations at PTDC.
PTDC’s media director also explained that only three airlines operate internally, with Pakistan Airways (PIA) (mostly state-owned national airlines) leading the way, followed by private companies Airblue and Serene Air.
Mokhtar told the media newspaper: “The destinations in the northern mountains are mainly connected by road infrastructure.” “PTDC offers convenient bus services from Rawalpindi to the northern region. Most visitors usually travel by [personal] cars.”
In 2018, the British Pioneers Association ranked Pakistan as one of the top 20 travel destinations.
“Pakistan’s international tourism seems to have finally begun, and it’s great to see this,” said Samuel Ginson, co-founder of the community. “Pakistan… has the most spectacular mountain landscape in the world, the best adventure, quality food and very hospitable culture.”
Gilgit Baltistan, the northernmost tip of Pakistan, has the highest concentration among the world’s highest peaks (provided by the Backpackers Society).
He said that the country’s new e-visa policy and rapid development of tourism infrastructure mean that “the secret of adventure travel has finally surfaced, which is good news for travellers in Pakistan and around the world.”
He said that he did not encounter any security problems while travelling in Pakistan.
He said: “In the two border areas, a local police officer has been appointed to take care of me, but this is not uncommon in the development of the tourism market. I don’t care.” They have security opinions on the headlines of the often sensational media. ”
The media hotline also spoke with Muhammad Arif, a former Pakistani intelligence officer and a director of a private security company.
He said: “The current tourism situation is relatively good and the terrorist activities are significantly reduced.”
The Pakistani Taliban killed 10 foreign tourists with their Pakistani chefs in their main camp in Nanga Parbat, the country’s second-highest peak in 2013. According to Arif, some areas such as Waziristan and Chitral are “somewhat unsafe”, but in general, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa The rest is safe.
He said: “Because of the rebellion in certain areas of Baluchistan Province, tourists need special permits.” “But, other tourist destinations in the country, including Karachi, Tata, Mohn Jo Daro, Islamabad, Lahore, Taxila, Peshawar, Gilgit, Hunza and Skardu are all safe places.”
On September 19th, PIA and the UK-based International Hotel Investment Group (IHIG) signed a memorandum to encourage tourism in Pakistan. Through this alliance, all PIA passengers have the right to stay free at any IHIG hotel in the northern tourist resort.
IHIG Chairman Alon Richards told the press after the signing ceremony: “Our focus is to bring the world to this beautiful country, the highest mountain in the world…to the nature of the country, the forest, mountains, lakes and the best beaches of PIA “we will continue to move in the right direction.”
On the downside, government auditors found that Pakistan Airlines operated as many as 46 airfreight flights from Islamabad Airport in 2016-17, excluding 36 flights that took off after passengers were taken to or from the airport. This caused a loss of 184 million Pakistani rupees or about 1.178 billion US dollars.
The auditor said in the report: “The operation of the drone indicates that the competent authority did not have proper planning and control.” The incident was reported to the airline’s senior manager in 2018, but no action was taken.
An auditor who asked not to be named said in an interview with the Media Hotline: “The officials involved in this negligence have a strong political background. Therefore, the authorities are not willing to take legal action against them.”
Pakistan has many historical monuments, beautiful and impressive, and it is a land of adventure.
“God gives the country the best natural beaches, forests, mountains, lakes…”
Gilgit Baltistan is the northernmost region of Pakistan and is the highest concentration of the highest peak in the world. Its height has increased by 5 meters to over 8,000 meters, including the world’s second-highest peak, K-2. The most traditional polo tournament in the world was held at the Shandur Pass, which connected Gilgit with Baltistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. (It is the highest polo stadium in the world, at an altitude of 3,700 meters).
In the Chitral region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the Kalash Valley is one of Pakistan’s main attractions. Kalash himself is part of the Greek civilization, and his people have their religion and culture.
Pakistan also has important Buddhists, Sikh and Hindu religious sites, attracting a large number of tourists from all over the world.
PTDC celebrated World Tourism Day on September 27. “The initiatives taken by the current government will help achieve the goal of creating more and more jobs, especially for women and young people,” Syed Ettikhab Alam, managing director, told Syed Ettikhab Alam.
Since 2017, Saba Ghani has been serving as the talented and dedicated chief content writer for Pakistan Tour and Travel & EMHI Solutions. With her exceptional writing skills and in-depth knowledge of the travel industry, she has been instrumental in crafting engaging and informative content that captivates the audience. You can catch her at [email protected] or Twitter
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