Promotion of tourism

The keenness shown by a French team during its visit to Pakistan to set up ski resorts in Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) demands pro-active measures from the government side for facilitating the tourism industry. It is not surprising that the investors are finding the Gilgit-Baltistan region ideal for developing ski tourism. Besides GB, there is no shortage of attractive tourist places in the north of the country that receive heavy snowfall and offer enchanting natural scenes. The tourism sector plays a significant part in any government’s efforts to achieve growth and create new jobs. Pakistan has tremendous potential for tourism by virtue of its long rich history, cultural diversity, geo-strategic position and captivating landscapes. There are many attractive areas like Hunza, Naran, Kaghaan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan where many tourists go and enjoy scenic beauty of the country.

In Skardu, there are many beautiful places like Satpara lake, Shangrilla, Shigar Fort, Kharpocho, world’s second highest peak K-2, and the Deosai mountains that are called the roof of the world and attract many foreigners, who enjoy climbing, tenting and regional culture of these areas. The government can enhance its income by providing security, basic necessities, comfortable and secure transport to tourists. In order to attract tourists, the concerned authorities need to launch successful marketing and promotion campaigns.

Recreational activities in a peaceful atmosphere always attract local and foreign tourists. Sky resorts offer all the fun in snowy areas and if necessary facilities are provided, it could jumpstart the economy of the province. While the rich beauty of tourist sites surely would attract foreign tourists, security concerns would be the predominant factor militating against the decision of foreign tourists to come to Pakistan. However, it should not be surprising that foreign tourism is where the real money lies, and it would go a long way at catapulting Pakistan’s tourism industry to new levels of growth and development, while at the same time bringing foreign exchange into the country. Hence, the security dimension would have to be a part and parcel of any successful security policy, be it of GB or the country as a whole.