Pakistan was ranked 124 by the World Economic Forum in its 2017 Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index but the situation is fast changing now with Pakistan’s profile going up with various tourism organisations, bloggers and travelers now figuring it among the world’s top tourist destinations. Forbes -- a famous American business magazine -- has listed Pakistan among "The 10 Coolest Places to go in 2019". Similarly, British Backpacker Society, food bloggers and Vloggers, all are in unanimity to believe Pakistan is fast becoming a tourism hub with its natural beauty, friendly people and more importantly the recent liberalisation of tourists’ visa policy.

To promote and boost tourism, Pakistan has recently announced visa-on-arrival facility to group tourists from 24 countries, including China, Finland, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Greece, the United Kingdom and the United States.

The love and welcoming attitude of Pakistanis for international tourists is widely unexplored -- something that international media never tells its audience and becomes a complete surprise to tourists when they visit Pakistan and witness it firsthand. Many tourists and bloggers who came to Pakistan for few days are now trying to settle down here because of the friendly and hospitable nature of people towards foreigners, mouthwatering food, cultural diversity, landscape and archeological attractions.

Some bloggers such as Mark Wiens who recently visited Pakistan acknowledged the hospitality of the people and welcoming attitude for foreigners. Similarly, the British Backpacker Society has described Pakistan on its social media pages as "one of the friendliest countries on earth, with mountain scenery that is beyond anyone’s wildest imagination. It is a beautiful, exciting and culturally interesting, and travelers are rewarded at the journey’s end-point with perhaps the most beautiful natural sight on earth, the Hunza Valley".

While people and natural beauty of this country are playing their parts, the government will have to provide an equally enabling environment for a tourism boost. The current government has initiated some serious steps for improvement in this sector.

According to the Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation, around 1.7 million foreigners visited Pakistan in 2017 showing a remarkable increase in the ratio of tourists’ influx while domestic travelers jumped by 30 percent. This number is likely to increase in the coming years due to positive steps by the government. However, it will boost manifolds if the government enters into special partnerships with international airlines such as Etihad, British Airways, Turkish Airlines, Thai Air and Emirates. These airlines may introduce special discount packages for Pakistan. Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC) may come up with special packages for tourists including but not limited to visa facilitation, accommodation, guides, and domestic travel facilitation.

The government also needs to initiate a strategic media campaign especially utilising social media to target foreign tourists according to their interests and geographical location. For instance, the government recently displayed the Buddha Statue in Switzerland to promote Buddha tourism -- it would be more helpful to use social media to market Buddha sites in countries where tourists are interested in such sites. South Korean, Japanese and Chinese tourists who are among top ten tourists of world would love to explore Buddha civilization of Pakistan.

Sikhs are already excited with Kartarpur border opening while Europeans bloggers and vloggers are also coming to explore Pakistan. Majority of the tourists from Arabian countries come to Pakistan for hunting which is a debatable issue but the government may reserve few selected places for hunting in Balochistan, KP, and North.

A robust campaign involving targeted social media messaging will help in boosting tourism all over the country. Special arrangements and cooperation agreements need to be signed with countries whose overseas spending are among the top 20 worldwide. For instance, overseas spending by South Korean tourists ranks among the top 10 followed by China, Germany, and the UK.

The government will also need to address a few challenges such as security and environmental degradation. With significant improvements in the tourism sector and marketing at the international level, tourists will now visit in a large number, therefore, the government needs to clear these places from any remaining gangsters or plunderers to ensure a safe and secure environment for tourists and flourishing of local businesses.

With more tourists visiting northern areas due to improvement in the access to many tourist places, environmental pollution and degradation is equally increasing. People who visit these places take tons of plastics with them as bottles of water, juices, bags etc. The government should impose a ban on plastic products in these places as well as introduce a mechanism for clean environment.

As domestic tourism amounts to 30 percent, the government may better project local events such as Swat, Mallam Jaba festivals, Shandur Polo and Kalash Festivals to improve tourism.