Beauty within

This year alone at least two international travel publications have noted that Pakistan has the potential of becoming one of the most desirable tourist spots on the globe. Most of us are familiar with at least some of the natural beauty of our diverse country, so much of which remains hidden and unpublicised. We are also aware of the security problem which deters foreigners from visiting the country. Whether true or not, the image of Pakistan is a handicap to bringing in travellers and their dollars. However, as a start we can work harder to develop internal tourism. To some degrees, this has taken off with improved roads, air safaris and interest among young people. However, much more needs to be done. At the moment, it is difficult to find hotels or guest houses at reasonable rates in many areas that deserve to be visited. Alongside the northern parts of the country, these include the coastal areas of Pakistan, lakes and desert regions such as Tharparkar and Cholistan.

The development of internal tourism will need to be carried out intelligently. Last year, there were complaints from the people of Gilgit about harassment by visitors from outside their area. Respect for local cultures needs to be developed. We have had similar problems even in Murree where locals and tourists clashed last year. The development of amenities for tourists in various parts of the country should not involve the destruction of their natural beauty. Setting up concrete-based amusement parks, dingy zoos or other structures which require the cutting down of forest areas cannot be justified. Instead, we need to build among our people an appreciation for the natural beauty of their homeland and for its culture. Combined with this, we need to make it easier for families to safely reach relatively remote areas. Nations around the world earn vast revenue from their tourist trade. Sri Lanka, Malaysia and of course Dubai and India are only some examples of this. The small African country of Rwanda has also been hugely successful in drawing in visitors and encouraging travel among its own people. We need to emulate them as a means to boost local economies and make the citizens of Pakistan more familiar with their own country and its habitat.