NY Times picks Lahore as one of the 'top places to visit in 2021'

• The NYT article included 51 other travel destinations, including Saipan in the Northern Mariana Islands and Kaliya Dhrow in neighbouring India.
  
• The contribution about Lahore was made by the author Haneen Iqbal who expressed her love for the city that is celebrated for its culture and lively atmosphere.

• Lahore’s rich culture, warmth, hospitality and the most amazing food in the world awaits travelers, says SAPM Zulfi Bukhari.
  

As the new year sets in after a difficult 2020, an American publication, The New York Times recently included our beloved Lahore in its list for "52 places to love in 2021" and has shared why you should also plan a trip to the city of gardens this year.

Explaining the motive of publishing the article, the report read: "We asked readers to tell us about the spots that have delighted, inspired, and comforted them in a dark year. Here, 52 of the more than 2,000 suggestions we received, to remind us that the world still awaits."

The article included 51 other travel destinations, including Saipan in the Northern Mariana Islands, Kaliya Dhrow in neighbouring India, Siwa Oasis in Egypt among many others.

The article about Punjab's capital city Lahore was contributed by the author Haneen Iqbal who expressed her love for the city that is celebrated for its rich culture and lively atmosphere.

"I was 18, and I hadn’t been back to Lahore for 12 years. It was winter. At the open-air Liberty Market, my mother and I wandered the stalls as cloth vendors unfurled bright bolts of fabric, beckoning us to come to look. At dusk, with pashmina shawls wrapped around our shoulders, we devoured a bowl of spicy chicken karahi, using piping hot khamiri roti bread to wipe the bowl clean. The food practically sang as it made its way into our mouths," Iqbal wrote.

"Pakistan has a bad reputation and is often overlooked by travelers who come to South Asia. But Lahoris are some of the kindest, most hospitable people," wrote Iqbal, sharing that she loves to watch the Punjab locals feasting on terraces of restaurants overlooking the grand Badshahi Mosque.

"They are just regular people living their regular lives, and they are so alive in the present, while always connected to their past," the author described.

Iqbal is a 29-year-old freelance writer in Toronto, Canada.

'A must-have on everyone’s list'

Prime Minister Imran Khan's Special Assistant on Tourism Zulfi Bukhari also retweeted the report and said: "Lahore’s rich culture, warmth, hospitality & the most amazing food in the world awaits travelers."

"A must-have on everyone’s list!" he added.