Travel And Tourism

Everything You Need To Know About Tourism In Pakistan In 2021

January 11, 2021

555

Are you planning to visit any country soon? Are you looking for a country with ethereal and majestic views? Then you’ve come to the right place. Pakistan is the right choice for every traveler willing to travel for serenity and comfort this year. Covid has been tough on all of us, we assure you Pakistan is worth every wait! Tourism in Pakistan is unlike any other.

Brace yourself because we’re about to reveal the secrets of Tourism in Pakistan so your journey is as exciting as your expectations. In this article, we will inform you about all the historic and religious places that you can make a list of.

Pakistan is a beautiful land of high adventure and nature. Pakistan is the land of pure.

From the mighty long stretches of the magnificent Karakorams situated in the North to the vast lovely delta of the Indus River flowing in the South Skiing, Trekking, boating, mountain climbing, rafting, mountain safari and desert safaris, camel safari and yak safaris, fishing and bird watching, are the famous activities, which are the popular activities for the adventure lovers in Pakistan.

Tourism In Pakistan In 2021 [Statistics, Places & Companies]

Pakistan is blessed with rich and beautiful flora and fauna. The high majestic Himalayas, Karakoram, and the Hindukush range with their aesthetic alpine meadows and snow glaciers, coniferous forests around the sub-mountain scrub.

The huge Indus plain merging into the great desert, near the coastline and the vast wetlands, all of these offer a remarkably rich range of vegetation and wildlife, both endemic and migratory.

Pakistan has ten of 18 mammalian with species ranging from the world’s smallest surviving mammal which is the Mediterranean Pigmy Shrew, to the largest mammal ever known which the blue whale is.

In Pakistan, the tourism industry is growing rapidly. In the year 2010, Lonely Planet coined Pakistan “tourism’s ‘next big thing’ for the coming years than we care to remember”.

The country is vastly diverse geographically and ethnically, and has numerous historical and cultural heritage sites.

The boost in tourism in the previous few years has been aided by the Government after the decision to end the No Objection Certificates for foreign tourists that are seeking to visit certain parts of the country.

Pakistan was ranked as The Best Holiday Destination for 2020 by a British tabloid. The country was also declared the third-highest adventure destination in the world for 2020.

The security in the country has improved by leaps and bounds and therefore tourism increased in the past two years.

The Pakistani government is now offering online visa services for 175 countries in the World out of which 50 countries are offered visa on arrival therefore making their visit to Pakistan easier.

The country has been visited by highly influenced travel vloggers, who showed the beautiful side of the country to their international viewers, especially the northern areas of Hunza and Skardu.

Table of Contents

Statistics Of Tourism In Pakistan

According to the reports, in 2013, 565,212 tourists visited Pakistan, which contributed $298 million, these figures have risen to almost 6.6 million tourists who visited the country in 2018.

However, Pakistan’s local tourism industry is estimated at 50 million solely of the local tourists that travel in groups on weekly trips mostly from May to August.

The largest inflow of international tourists in Pakistan are from the United Kingdom, followed by United States, India and China.

Pakistan earned a whopping 16 billion rupees (approx. $200 million) from almost 800,000 tourists back during 2007. Less than 400,000 visitors came in 2008, which brought in only 8 billion rupees.

Tourism Industry In Pakistan

Tourism is an important area for the present government of Pakistan. The prime minister has issued several statements regarding how vital tourism in for our country.

Several initiatives are being undertaken to boost the amount tourists and visitors to profit the tourism industry in Pakistan.

To be on the same terms and coordinate with other provinces, the federal cabinet, and private sectors, facilities provided in the development of the policies, plans and strategies, framework of tourism, etc.

To promote the market and tourism potentials both nationally and internationally, the Government has established the National Tourism Coordination Board (NTCB). NTCB is responsible for:

To coordinate and communicate with provincial, national, and international organizations dealing that are involved in the tourism sector.
To promote and market the tourism potential of the country.
To provide facilities ad opportunities to all the provinces so that they develop regulatory methods for quality standards in the hospitality of the tourists.
To look after national interest in tourism-related to international expos and other events.
To produce synergies amongst provinces and regions in the country
To provide assistance to provinces so that they develop institutions in tourism sectors.

The NTCB is following technical working groups according to their strategies and plans regarding tourism in their assigned specific areas:

A Cultural, Heritage & Archaeology Tourism Working Group
ECO Tourism Working Group
Tourism Branding & Marketing Working Group
Regulatory & Policy Reforms Working Group
Religious Tourism Working Group
Investment Promotion Working Group
Infrastructure & Facilitation Working Group
Adventure Tourism Working Group
Trans Himalayan Jeep Rally Working Group

Tourist Places In Pakistan

If you’re about to visit Pakistan and have no idea where to go or visit according to the different genres of places, then you’ve come to the right place. Here are some tourist places in Pakistan according to different preferences:

Historical:

For historical places, the first place you should pay a visit is the Mohenjo-Daro, which is a settlement that dates back 5,000 years, situated in the Sindh region of Pakistan.

The two excavated sites near Taxila, dates back to the Buddhist Gandhara period.

Cultural:

The northern parts of Pakistan have many old ancient fortresses, towers and other magnificent architecture.

The Chitral valley is the heart of the small pre-Islamic Animist Kalasha community who claimed to be the generation of the army of Alexander the Great.

In Punjab there is a site of Alexander’s battle that was near the Jhelum River.

Lahore is considered the cultural hub of the country with many historic Mughal architectures such as the Badshahi Mosque, Shalimar Gardens, Tomb of Jahangir, and the Lahore Fort.

Nature:

The Karakoram Highway, accessed through the Silk Road, provides ethereal beauty of the Himalayan mountain range which has the Hindukush Pamir.

The trail continues along the Indus River deep into the beautiful Gilgit and Hunza valleys.

Margalla Hills situated in Islamabad is the most famous tourist place. Situated in the middle of these hills lies the Daman-e-Koh, which is like a terraced garden having excellent views over the city. Many religious mosques and Islamic tombs are present across the country.

Some of the most famous ones are Badshahi Mosque in Lahore (one of the largest mosques in the world, and a perfect example of Moghul architecture), then is the Faisal Mosque in Islamabad, etc.

The city of Thatta located in Sindh region is well known for its mausoleums and mosques.

Thermal:

The ethereal area of Chitral located in the Hindu Kush Mountains is well known for its hot springs and trout Fish Rivers.

Beach:

Clifton beach of Karachi is one of the largest and most beautiful beaches in all of Asia.

Unfortunately, Pakistan has almost failed to develop beach tourism because the Western concept of beaches is completely different from a country’s Islamic cultural traditions.

Winter Sports:

Pakistan has huge 5 highest mountain peaks in the world and numerous large glaciers.

The northern areas including Gilgit and Skardu are very famous for trekking. Malam Jabba resort located in the Karakoram Range has many good facilities including skiing facilities.

Outdoor Activities:

Water rafting, boating, fishing and canoeing are very popular on the rivers and lakes of Rawal Lake.

Cricket is the most famous and highly acclaimed game of the country. You could easily watch cricket matches. Polo is also popular in the northern areas, especially in the towns of Gilgit and Chitral.

Shopping:

Shopping in Pakistan is fun and quite unique. Pakistani shops are famous for their perfect handicrafts, the country is home to elegant hand-woven carpets, marble designs, copper and brassware, exquisite woodwork, and beautiful embroidered kurtas and pretty khussas.

Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad have some great market places (called Bazars) as well as large shopping centers. We also have an article about top 10 shopping sites in pakistan.

Pakistan Is More Than Just An Adventure

Almost all of Pakistan claims that “the world is obsessed with traveling in the north,” but there is so much more to our country than just a location for adventure tourism.

The country is geographically and historically diverse especially its famous peaks.

Pakistan has everything including deserts, lakes, forests, and a stretchable 700 miles of coastline, from which the PTI led government hopes to develop beaches of international standards.

Pakistan has a vast historical tourism, including the 5,000 year old Indus Valley Civilization, Mohenjo-Daro.

Then comes religious tourism which includes some of the most sacred sites for every religion including Hinduism, Sikhism, Sufism, and then Buddhism.

Lastly, comes the mountain tourism in Pakistan which has almost half the peaks which are over 24,000 feet,” Imran Khan said at Davos. “So it is not touched by anyone and acts as a hub for providing jobs to people and also to improve the growth rate.”

Pakistan has a total of six UNESCO World Heritage sites and 26 more upcoming on a tentative list. The total number of international tourists to our cultural sites doubled from 7,028 in 2017 to 18,041 in 2018, this is according to a report by Gallup Pakistan.

The country is also legendary among travelers for its nice people and hospitality.

“There are two simple reasons I always want to come back to Pakistan: its people and places. In this country, it’s easy to meet and interact with the locals,” Reynolds said.

“Pakistanis are brave to start up a conversation, and English is everywhere.

Even seconds of conversation can turn into an invitation at their homes for chai or a stay at someone’s home more often than I ever could have imagined before.”

Tourism Companies In Pakistan

Tourism Companies are kind of firms that offer travel services for people visiting to places outside their own area of residence for less than one consecutive year for free time, leisure, business and other purposes.

These mainly provide services in the areas of accommodation, transportation, food and beverage, travel agencies and tour operators, and mainly for tourist entertainment. Some of the good tourism companies in Pakistan are as follows:

Crossroads Adventure.
Hunza Explorers.
Oasis Overland.
Exploria.
World adventure tours.
Large Minority
Madventure.

How To Sustain Tourism In Pakistan?

Even though there is a major increase in tourism in Pakistan, it does not come without negative obstacles.

The infrastructure in our country is still lacking, and the country needs more better international level hotels and well trained hospitality workers.

Also, there are several complications in the environmental impact of tourism. A huge range of tourism including both foreign and domestic tourists has led to litter accumulating at tourist spots, which is never a good sight to see and witness in such beautiful places.

Some of the more famous regions have experienced a deforestation increase as the locals are cutting down trees to build more hotels and comfortable accommodations for the tourists.

“Pakistan is at an exciting pivotal point right now, back in the days it was so overlooked by tourism for years and years, it basically has the great opportunity to design and achieve a sustainable tourism industry” Reynolds, an international blogger said.

“If a strong foundation is spread now, the country will succeed in the coming years, and it can serve as an inspiration to other underrated developing countries that are hoping to increase their tourism.”

Conclusion

After many years of terrorism and dangerous war, Pakistan remains the country that is still surprising and unpredictable.

Pakistan is a land which is rich in culture and history, but precautions should be taken for your own safety as you travel across.

Even though more tourists are visiting Pakistan now, than in the previous years but we believe there’s still a long way to go. No doubt tourism in Pakistan is on the rise, but there are several concerns that are remaining for tourists that need to be addressed by the government. Let us pray and hope that the positive initiatives will be taken in this regard by the government and their efforts will bear sweet fruits so that Pakistan becomes the dream destination of every adventure and nature lover.