KALAM
\nProviding meal and cold water to tourists, Haji Ehsan Ullah (28), a resident of Osho village has reserved his guest house for visitors by earning maximum capital in the wake of arrival of influx of adventure and mountains sports enthusiasts from hot plain districts of KP and Punjab provinces to the picturesque Kalam valley.
\n\u201cNo one can feel the pain of an unemployed married person better than me. I have opened my two room guest house for tourists on the advice of my grandfather and today he was earning a handsome amount enabling me to fulfill my household expanses,\u201d said Ehsan, a resident of Osho village near Kalam while talking to APP.
\nHe said domestic tourists prefer small hotels and inns due to its affordable prices than expansive hotels at Kalam and majority of his villagers had opened their rest houses for accommodations of the tourists.
\nEhsan said that he provides free meal and water to tourists and obtain only Rs1500 rent for 24 hours stay.
\n\u201cI came from Wapda Town Peshawar to spend few days in pleasant weather of Kalam,\u201d said Kaiser Khan, a retired Wapda employee while talking to APP.
\nImpressed by the hospitality of locals, he said that guest houses at Kalam were more economical then hotels and urged people here in large numbers to enjoy trout fish and paragliding besides rivers rafting.
\nAlthough local tourism had flourished visibly in recent years at Swat yet unfortunately these bounties remained untapped to the maximum due to multiple reasons like insufficient projection, facilities for tourism and law and order situation in the past.
\nSince Pakistan has a meager share in global revenue earning from tourism, the experts believe that if the government fully employs the latest digital techniques and social media to highlight these hidden destinations, it can earn billions of dollars annually.
\nInternationally recognized as home to six United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) heritage sites, second highest mountain peak, long coastline and vast cultural and religious heritage, Pakistan offers plenty of tourism activities for local and foreign tourists.
\nIt is also a unique country with enchanting deserts, mesmerizing plains and snow covered peaks, adventurous sea shores and plenty of cultural and archeological sites, ancient Muslim architecture and religious sites of Buddhism and Sikhism.
\nArcheological wonders of Mohenjo-Daro in Sindh, Harappa in Punjab, Buddhist Ruins in Takht Bhai and Sahri Bahlol in Mardan and Taxila, ancient Indus and Gandhara civilizations, Thal and Thar deserts and architecture of ancient rulers especially Mughal era can be future hot spots for tourism.
\nFive highest mountains peaks of above 8,000 meters, including the second highest peak \u2013 the K-2 (8611m), 108 highest peaks of above 7000 meters, Deosai plain, cultural diversity of Sindh, Punjab, KPK, Balochistan and Azad kashmir, historical monuments and much more across Pakistan are other hallmarks of our tourism treasure.
\nMuhammad Ali Syed, Manager KP Tourism and Culture Authority told APP that today is an era of digital tourism. Technological advancements has fast started transforming the travel and hospitality industry even in developing countries including Pakistan.
\n\u201cWe have the most beautiful skiing spots at Malam Jabba Swat, picturesque valleys, rivers and brooks, hiking tracks, polo grounds, ice hockey fields, deserts for car rallies, sea surfing and mighty peaks for scaling.\u201d
\nBut, he said, most of our areas remained insufficiently highlighted across the globe.
\n\u201cTherefore, we need to fully employ the power of social and digital media as well as ensuring amicable environment for tourists.\u201d
\nDespite its diverse potential, Pakistan\u2019s share in global tourism economy is too low. Therefore, at a time when international media predicts full recovery of tourism industry during 2024, Pakistan needs to tighten belts for securing its due share from trillions of dollars tourism economy.
\nUNWTO has recorded an estimated 1286 million international tourists (overnight visitors) around the world in 2023, an increase of 34% over 2022 as international tourism recovered 88% of pre-pandemic levels.
\nThe Middle East led the recovery being the only region to overcome pre-pandemic levels with arrivals 22% above 2019, Europe reached 94%, Africa recovered 96% and the Americas 90% and Asia and Pacific recovered 65% with the start of 2023. Following a strong rebound in 2023, the sector\u2019s outlook reflected in the latest UNWTO Tourism Confidence Index survey, reveals 67% of tourism professionals indicating better or much better prospects for 2024 compared to 2023.
\n\u201cOur share is too meager as compared to international tourism earning. We secure just a billion or so dollars out of this trillions dollar economy,\u201d remarked Ex-Chairman Economics Department, Peshawar University, Professor Dr Zilakat Malik
\n\u201cThis is pathetic and urge us to transform our efforts keeping in view the modern trends, exploiting all latest tools for projecting our potential.\u201d
\n\u201cI expect from the new government to appoint digital professionals and experts to promote tourism to harness our due share in tourism economy,\u201d he stated.
\nBesides nature\u2019s bounties in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan, there are ancient and religious sites in Sindh, Balochistan and Punjab to attract millions of foreign tourists.
\n\u201cScientific advancements and modern technological inventions have virtually turned the world into a global village. Therefore, we should vigorously project our amazing sites and archeological wonders,\u201d remarked Manzoorul Haq, former ambassador.
\n\u201cAs developed nations have replaced conventional publicity methods with digital tourism, so we also need to exploit global positioning system (GPS) and artificial intelligence for quick dissemination of information and projection of our sites,\u201d he stated and proposed to patronage v-loggers, bloggers and social media groups for the purpose.
\nAlthough Pakistan\u2019s foreign tourism has witnessed 115% increase during 2023 as mentioned by the then Caretaker Minister of State for Tourism Wasi Shah, yet it earned just US$ 1.3 billion. \u2018World Tourism Barometer\u2019 published by World Tourism Organization of the United Nations, had also mentioned that Pakistan had made a remarkable recovery in tourism to pre-pandemic levels.
\nShowing 115% increase, is just start of a journey towards an overall revolution in this sector that may reach 500% or even thousands percent provided that it is transformed on modern lines projecting Pakistan\u2019s potential.
\nIt is unfortunate that a country having much more potential than other nations, earn much lower than them that direly needs right person for the right job, political will and modern approach to excel in this arena.
\nThis approach should be multi-dimensional, promoting natural, religious, cultural and adventure tourism on war footing to bring in precious tourism associated foreign exchange to support our economy and move forward for economic sustainability.
\nThe experts urged people to prepare small videos and photos and release on social media to attract foreign tourists imperative for generation of employment opportunities in rural areas of Pakistan.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
KALAM Providing meal and cold water to tourists, Haji Ehsan Ullah (28), a resident of Osho village has reserved his guest house for visitors by earning maximum capital in the wake of arrival of influx of adventure and mountains sports enthusiasts from hot plain districts of KP and Punjab provinces to the picturesque Kalam valley. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":409394,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-409367","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-national"},"yoast_head":"\n