Type of Tourism in Pakistan
Some of the most visited Tourist Places in Pakistan
Challenges of tourism in Pakistan
Misconceptions
Safety and Security
Language Barrier
Price Exploitation
Hotels Oligopoly
Out-Dated Infrastructure
Pakistan is a country where you may experience a multitude of travelling spots from mountain ranges to historical landmarks. It is one of the countries in the world where all four seasons lie throughout the year. Northern Pakistan is known as the coldest region, while the southern is vice versa. Central and eastern regions are rich with greenery and the western and southern are mostly dry areas. Because of the Arabian Sea, some cities of the southern region are rich in beaches, which makes them highly attractive spots. Tourism in Pakistan has an extensive range of offerings from historical places to traditional foods, which attract foreigners from all over the world.
If we discuss the official tourism regulatory, the Pakistan tourism department, which is Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation controls the overall activities related to tourism in Pakistan. While the establishment of the Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC) took place in 1970. Since the second decade of the 21st century, Pakistan’s tourism industry boomed with some new features.
Everything has changed since then and even foreign travellers have lined up for travelling to Pakistan. Pakistan tourism department has progressed with every passing year because of a sudden rise in domestic tourism. Numerous private tourism agencies have emerged and the overall economy is also having a positive impact from them.
Types of Tourism in Pakistan
If we discuss some of the types of tourism in Pakistan, each province has its peculiarity. From rocky areas to dense forests and even serene beaches, all the regions have different categories.
- Historical and religious tourism in Punjab,
- Adventurous and ecotourism in KPK, and
- Religious and archaeological tourism in Sindh and Balochistan.
Some of the Most Visited Tourist Places in Pakistan
There is a massive range of places for tourism in Pakistan, while some of the most famous places and regions are below. You will even find rare animals like Snow Leopards, Ibex, Markhor, Mountain Goat, Tibetan Blue Bear, Tibetan Wolf, Himalayan Tahr, Argali, Marco Polo sheep, Pallas’ Cat etc. Here are some of the most astounding places in Pakistan.
- 13 Gates of Lahore (Punjab)
- Highest Mountain Ranges in Pakistan
- Minar-e-Pakistan in Lahore (Punjab)
- Historical Places in Pakistan
- Kund Malir Beach in Makran (Balochistan)
- Gwadar Cricket Stadium (Balochistan)
- Margala Hills in Islamabad (Punjab)
- Mohen Jo Daro in Larkana (Sindh)
- Northern Valleys in Pakistan
- Fairy Meadows (Gilgit Baltistan)
- Derawar Fort in Bahawalpur (Punjab)
- Beaches of Karachi
- Port Grand in Karachi (Sindh)
- Karakoram Highway (Punjab)
- Kirthar National Park in Jamshoro (Sindh)
Challenges of Tourism in Pakistan
If we discuss the hurdles and challenges of tourism in Pakistan, there are some concerns that need attention. Without working on them, we cannot proceed to meet the advanced standards. For instance, here are some challenges and obstacles of tourism in Pakistan.
Misconceptions
A decade back, very few foreigners preferred to enter Pakistan because of horrible marks left by terrorism but everything has changed now. Foreigners have started to visit Pakistan to experience the security measures and changes after the war against terrorism. Still, some people have misconceptions and fear because of the bombardment of negative information by some rival forces and media. Most of the westerners have a distorted perception of Pakistan which is somehow changing with time. Furthermore, some western vloggers had travelled throughout Pakistan recently to send a message of a safe and secure travelling experience, which gained huge popularity in the entire world via social media.
Safety and Security
Every country needs safe and secure tourism without compromising anything. In addition, there are some gaps and a lack of coordination between private tourism companies and security forces, which raises questions about the safety of tourists. At the moment, everything is fine and foreign tourists also travel all over the country without any fear or hesitation. But there are some security measures that the government is working to tackle. Here is how you can tackle snowstorms while stuck in a car.
Language Barrier
For a better understanding, one needs proper communication, which is possible only through literacy. Foreign tourists struggle to communicate with locals because of the communication barriers. Even some vendors and hotel staff struggle to communicate with foreigners in the English language. As a result, foreigners have to hire an interpreter sometimes a guide to communicate with the locals, which adds up their expenses. Besides, this language barrier creates problems in other issues. To tackle it, the government should build training centres and focus on local academies for the literacy of the people in those areas.
Price Exploitation
This issue is almost everywhere in the world, where similar pricing standards are not followed. Some vendors exploit the tourists by hiking the prices of general items. Since most of them are overlooked by the authorities, they manipulate the foreigners into fabricated inflation. This issue has a seriously-negative impact on the tourism industry in Pakistan. It does not happen everywhere but in a few of the places while you will also experience the extravagance of the locals where they avoid charging the foreigners as a gesture of hospitality. This is very common in Pakistan where the locals have a strong sense of care for visitors. Strict and transparent law and order with proper implementation can help deal with it.
Hotels Oligopoly
Some specific areas have a common issue of oligopoly, where some hotels exploit the tourists through high charges in accommodation. Because of this issue, people prefer private tour guides and packages in advance. Now this problem is somehow under the spotlight of authorities since a big number of complaints were received against the hotel mafia. As a result, the Pakistan tourism industry faces backlash from all sources of media. Similarly, strict laws imposition can help deal with this issue.
Out-Dated Infrastructure
Some areas of tourism have outdated infrastructure which dents the Pakistan tourism industry. These areas are mostly in Sindh and Balochistan, which are southern and western regions respectively. Because of the lack of attention from their respective governments, their underdeveloped infrastructure harms tourism in Pakistan. Numerous places are worthy of exploration but to reach them you have to face multiple route difficulties. Proper coordination between the local government and PTDC (Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation) can help exterminate this matter.
Conclusion
These features and factors play a vital role in tourism in Pakistan, which is improving every year as the demand for travelling is rising. It is also improving the business cycle by contributing to the GDP of Pakistan. As the government and relative authorities are promoting tourism in Pakistan, the people of this country are also playing their role in revamping the best part of travelling.
If you have already made your mind for a tour of Pakistan, here is a list of backpacking for travelling and budget-friendly travelling. You may also have a look at Omicron, a new variant of COVID19. For more informative blogs, visit Jagah Online. Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook.