In 2018, the British Backpacker Society ranked Pakistan the world's top adventure travel destination, describing the country as "one of the friendliest countries on earth, with mountain scenery that is beyond anyone's wildest imagination".
According to the World Economic Forum's Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report 2017, the direct contribution of travel and tourism to Pakistan's GDP in 2015 was US$328.3 million, constituting 2.8% of the total GDP.[10] According to the World Travel and Tourism Council, the direct contribution of travel and tourism to Pakistan's GDP in 2016 was Rs. 793 billion (equivalent to Rs. 4.0 trillion or US$14 billion in 2021), constituting 2.7% of the total GDP.[11] By 2025, the government predicts tourism will contribute Rs. 1 trillion (US$3.5 billion) to the Pakistani economy.[12]
In October 2006, one year after the
Karimabad and Lake Saiful Muluk. To promote the country's cultural heritage, in 2007, Pakistan launched the "Visit Pakistan" marketing campaign that involved events including fairs, religious festivals, regional sporting events, arts and craft shows, folk festivals and openings of historical museums.[14]
In 2013, over half a million tourists visited Pakistan, contributing $298 million; these figures have since risen to over 6.6 million tourists in 2018.[15] By comparison, Pakistan's domestic tourism industry is estimated at 50 million tourists who travel in the country on short trips usually between May and August.[16] The largest inflow of tourists are from the United Kingdom, followed by the United States, India and China.[17][18]
Overview
Major tourist attractions in Pakistan include the ruin of
Islamized Pakistan under dictator Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq. Due to subsequent Taliban and al-Qaeda influence, especially after the September 11 attacks, westerners became the target of local branches of those terror organizations.[21] Domestic tourism also slowed as a result of terrorism and anti-terror military operations which had taken the lives of more than 65,000 in Pakistan between 2001 and 2018.[21]
travel visas in a bid to increase tourism to the country. The new program grants visas on arrival to travelers from 50 countries, including the United States. Citizens of another 175 countries can apply for visas on the internet. Previously, visas could only be obtained from Pakistani embassies abroad.[22]
Jirga Hall has a collection of pieces that were found at the archaeological sites of Mehrgarh, Nasshero and Pirak. The annual Sibi Festival includes a Horse and Cattle Show.[27]
Mughals took control of the region and ruled its land for several centuries. The Mughal heritage remained strong in Punjab with a large number of forts, tombs and monuments sintact today. The Durrani Empire ruled Punjab after the fall of the Mughal Empire for a short period following the rise of the Sikh Empire. The strong control of the Sikhs also left a number of sites that have remained intact throughout Punjab. The British Raj took control of the region until the independence
.
Tourism in Punjab is regulated by the Tourism Development Corporation of Punjab.
Neelum Valley is the highest peak in the province. Ganga Choti is a peak in Bagh.[33] The province is fertile, green and mountainous.[34]
Islamabad Capital Territory
Main article:
Tourism in Islamabad Capital Territory
Simli Lake and Fatima Jinnah Park are among the tourist attractions in the territory.[35][36] It is ranked as the second most-beautiful capital city in the world.[37]
Image and influencers
Pakistan's real problem is its image... Positive messages would strengthen your image... There are more dangerous countries ... but their image is an exotic one... Italy .. mafia is 20,000 ..the rest of 60m people are normal...
Andreas Ferrarese, Italian ambassador to Pakistan[38]
The upsurge in tourism in the past few years has been aided by the Government of Pakistan's recent decision to end mandatory
Prime Minister Imran Khan, the Government of Pakistan has encouraged this tourism.[21] For 2020 Forbes listed in top ten tourist destinations where as Condé Nast Traveller went ahead to rank Pakistan on first number as a tourist destination.[21] Shackle says, while some Pakistanis find pride in international coverage, some Pakistanis are bewildered.[21] According to Shackle some critics believe that promotion of tourism is just mere attempt of deflecting domestic & international attention from realities of money laundering, corruption, lack of democracy and human rights issues in Pakistan.[21]
Many liberals and feminists in Pakistan express their reservations about the misrepresentation of Pakistan's objective reality regarding the status of women in Pakistan by western white travel influencers.
Cynthia Ritchie was being applauded, so Pakistan feminists questioned the double standard of Pakistani society.[42]
According to Tazayian Sayira (2022) study, suffering
anthropogenic crisis Pakistan needs an image makeover from it being known as the place of violence, conflict, terrorism and the Government of Pakistan has lately attempted some repositioning in the direction of an image makeover.[43] Tazayian Sayira (2022) study says, while Quran encourages traveling, but in practice very trying constraints are placed on the participation of women in tourism in Muslim-majority countries like Pakistan and many of these countries women are restrained from traveling without a close male relative called mahram (i.e. father, non-cousin brother, son), though women are main behind the scene contributors in service provisions like food, laundry, souvenir production, the labor that most times presumed as unpaid routine family work.[43]
Period: time period of significance, typically of construction
UNESCO data: the site's reference number; the year the site was inscribed on the World Heritage List; the criteria it was listed under: criteria (i) through (vi) are cultural, while (vii) through (x) are natural; meeting both criteria are categorized as "mixed sites"
Moenjodaro is an archaeological site located on the right bank of the Indus River in Larkana District of Sindh. Dating back to the beginning of third millennium BC, the 5000-year-old city was one of the largest and earliest urbanized settlements in South Asia. The ruins were first discovered in 1922 and major excavations were carried out in the 1930s, however after 1965 further excavations were banned due to weathering and disintegration. Only one-third of the site has been revealed so far and site conservation works have been on-going since then.
Taxila is an archaeological site located in the Rawalpindi District, 30 km northwest of Islamabad. The city dates back to the Gandhara period and contains the ruins of the Gandhāran city of Takṣaśilā which was an important Hindu and Buddhist centre, and is still considered a place of religious and historical sanctity in those traditions.
Takht-i-Bahi, meaning spring throne, is a Buddhist monastic complex dating to the first century BC located on top of a 152 m high hill. The ruins are located about 16 km from Mardan and 80 km from Peshawar. Sahr-i-Bahlol is a small fortified city, dating from the same era, located near Takht-i-Bahi. The historical complex is a complete Buddhist monastery consisting of four main groups; the Court of Stupas, a monastic complex, a temple complex, and a tantric monastic complex.
Makli is a necropolis in the archaeological city of Thatta dating back to the 14th century. The monuments and mausoleums in Makli are built from high quality stone, brick, and glazed tiles representing the civilization of Sindh of the time. Tombs of famous saints and rulers including Jam Nizamuddin II are still preserved and are evidence of Hindu, Mughal, and Islamic architecture.
Rohtas Fort is a garrison fort built by Sher Shah Suri, located about 16 km from Jhelum in Punjab, Pakistan. The fort is an exceptional example of Islamic military architecture, integrating artistic traditions from Turkey and the Indian subcontinent. It was built at a strategic location on a small hill alongside Kahan River to control the Ghakkars. Its name is derived from Rohtasgarh, the site of Sher Shah's victory in 1539 over a Hindu ruler.
In 2004, the Ministry of Tourism pushed forward for new sites in Pakistan to become a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In total, 26 sites are awaiting to be categorised as of 2016 which include:[50][51]
Other landmarks and structures have not yet made the UNESCO Tentative List. Long before the creation of Pakistan after its partition from India in 1947, there existed diverse cultures and religions in the undivided India. India was the centre of various wars that led to several dynasties and tribes ruling its lands. They left behind landmarks, some of which have become national icons in Pakistan now whilst others need the attention of concerned authorities. Some of these include:
Post-independence Pakistan retained its heritage by constructing sites to commemorate its independence by blending styles and influences from the past. Some of these include:
Gorakh Hill, Dadu – situated on one of the highest plateaus of Sindh
Tourism under Prime Minister Imran Khan
Former Prime Minister Imran Khan planned to boost tourism to create millions of jobs.[52] In his first television address to the nation, he said; "Pakistan has huge tourism potential. We will promote tourism to strengthen the economy".[52] The tourism industry in Pakistan has witnessed a boom as law and order has improved across the country in the last five years. The country of 235 million is known for its hospitality globally.
Military operations launched by
Pakistan armed forces during 2013–2017 against militants wiped out terrorism and militancy across the country, especially in northern areas, paving the way for the revival of tourism. The Government of Pakistan has also eased the country's visa policy, which has played a key role in attracting a large number of foreign tourists.[52] "We are improving processes to issue tourist visas, in particular for groups and champion initiatives, which strengthen our visa on arrival program and eliminate NoC condition for high potential tourist destinations besides providing four-star accommodation at affordable cost", said Fawad Chaudhry, a minister in government.[52] He also said; "peace had been restored and the local and foreign tourists were coming in large numbers to visit the scenic places and heritage sites".[53]
The Imran Khan government organised the Pakistan Tourism Summit, which occurred on 2 and 3 April 2019 at
Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Interior Minister Shehryar Afridi, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry, and some well-known international bloggers, who spoke about their experiences during the panel discussion and answered questions from the participants.[54] Due to these measures, 1.9 million tourists visited Pakistan in 2018 and as of 2020, tourism in the country has increased by more than 300%.[3]
List of tourist regions and sites
In October 2006, The Guardian released what it described as "The top five tourist sites in Pakistan".[55] Pakistan was ranked 47 out of 200 countries in an analysis of the World Travel and Tourism Council's (WTTC) growth figures by Lovehomeswap.com,[56] which said, "If the country becomes more peaceful, visitor numbers are predicted to rise".[57][58]
Indians are only eligible for business, pilgrim or Visitor Visas to Pakistan. The pilgrim VISA allows Indians to visit 15 sites in Pakistan for religious tourism – they will be given a visitor visa. The Visitor Visa is granted if you have close family members or friends in Pakistan and you can only visit a maximum of 5 cities for 3 months.[65]
^"Constitution of Pakistan"(PDF). Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Government of Pakistan. Archived from the original(PDF) on 11 August 2006. Retrieved 30 March 2010.