TOURISM

DEVELOPMENT
IN
PAKISTAN

BY

AFTAB RANA
PRESIDENT
SUSTAINABLE TOURISM
FOUNDATION PAKISTAN
 Pakistan as a Tourist
Destination
• Pakistan is one of those countries in the
world which are blessed with diverse
inventory of tourism attractions.

• It is based on the unique endowments of

naturel features, biodiversity and its rich
culture and heritage.
 Pakistan- Land of Hospitality, Cultural Heritage
and Natural Diversity

Mountains of Hindukush, Himalayas and Karakorum

There are more than 5000 Glaciers
There are great Opportunities for
Adventure Tourism
A great diversity of mountain Landscape
Pakistan- Land of Hospitality, Cultural Heritage and
Natural Diversity

Fairytale Lakes
Pakistan- Land of Hospitality, Cultural Heritage and
Natural Diversity

Enchanting hill stations

Pakistan- Land of Hospitality, Cultural Heritage and
Natural Diversity
Mehargarh 7000 – 3300 B.C.

Mehargarh is sometimes cited as

the earliest known farming
settlement in South Asia.
Pakistan- Land of Hospitality, Cultural Heritage and
Natural Diversity

Mohenjo-Daro – one of the world’s oldest Civilizations

Pakistan - Land of Hospitality, Cultural Heritage and
Natural Diversity

Centuries old
Gandhara
Heritage
Pakistan - Land of Hospitality, Cultural Heritage and
Natural Diversity

Peshawar – the oldest living city in South Asia

Pakistan - Land of Hospitality, Cultural Heritage and
Natural Diversity

Sites of Mughal Heritage

Pakistan - Land of Hospitality, Cultural Heritage and
Natural Diversity

Bahawalpur and
Cholistan
Pakistan- Land of Hospitality, Cultural Heritage and
Natural Diversity

Sindh – The Land of Sufis and Saints

 Pakistan- Land of Hospitality, Cultural Heritage and
Natural Diversity

Makran coast

The Makran coast is Balochistan's southern strip and stretches for 754 kms.
 Pakistan - Land of Hospitality, Cultural Heritage
and Natural Diversity

Great Diversity of Culture

 Pakistan - Land of Hospitality, Cultural Heritage
and Natural Diversity

Kalash - World oldest

living culture
 Pakistan - Land of Hospitality, Cultural Heritage and
Natural Diversity

Rich Biodiversity

Nine eco-regions from tropical thorn forests to the alpine zone.

Pakistan - Land of Hospitality, Cultural Heritage and
Natural Diversity

Traditional Cuisine
Pakistan - Land of Hospitality, Cultural Heritage and
Natural Diversity

Great variety of handicrafts

Pakistan - Land of Hospitality, Cultural Heritage and
Natural Diversity

Shandur – World Heights Polo Field

Based on this Primary Resource Base Pakistan
can offer following Tourism Products

 Adventure Tourism  Coastal Tourism

 Cultural Tourism  Rural Tourism
 Religious Tourism  Convention Tourism
 Shopping Tourism  Wellness Tourism
 Sports Tourism  Business Tourism
 Ecotourism  Youth Tourism
 Recreation Tourism  and much more..
 Performance of Tourism Sector in Pakistan
Pakistan Foriegn Tourists Arrival Trend
(Source: Ministry of Toruism, via Ministry of Interior)

1,000 898 873

840 823
900 798
800
648
No. of Tourists (000)

700
557
600 500 498 501
500
400
300
200
100
0
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

• Pakistan’s Share in:

• International tourist traffic 0.08 %
• South Asia tourist traffic 8.7 %
Foreign Tourist Arrival in Pakistan from 2009 to 2016

Years Total Foreign Tourist Tourism Receipts (US$

Arrivals in Pakistan in millions)
2009 0.8549 240.60
2010 0.9068 305.90
2011 0.7188 351.34
2012 0.6638 369.03
2013 0.5652 298.48
2014 0.9654 285.46
2015 1.247
2016 1.756
 Foreign Tourism in Pakistan

• Foreign Tourist Traffic

(based on data of 2014)
• No. of foreign tourists
00.96 million (overall)

• No. of foreign tourists

00.14 million
(for sightseeing)
• Receipts USD 283
million
Source: UNWTO Report
 Domestic Tourism in Pakistan

• Domestic Tourist Traffic

(based on data of 2009)

• No. of domestic
tourists 46.07 million
(overall)

• No. of domestic
tourists: 6.54 million
• (for sightseeing)
As Per MOT Report of 2009
 Comparison of Tourists Arrivals and Receipts in
South Asia

Country International Tourist Receipts

Arrivals (1000)
Year 2014 US$ Million
India 7,697 19,700
Maldives 1,205 2,696
Sri Lanka 1,527 2,431
Nepal 790 487
Pakistan 965 282
Bangladesh 125 153
Bhutan 133 73
Source: UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)
Development of Tourism Sector in Pakistan
Year Activity
1970 Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation was established
1977 Separate Ministry of Tourism, Culture, Sports, Archaeology was
created. Tourism Laws were approved and DTS was created
1987 Punjab Government established its own Tourism Development
Corporation. Later on Sindh and KP Provinces also established
their own tourism corporations
1990 First National Tourism Policy was launched
2000 Tourism Master Plan was developed with the assistance of
UNDP & WTO
2010 Revised draft of National Tourism Policy was prepared
2010 18th Amendment in Constitution of Pakistan – Federal Ministry
of Tourism was dissolved and subject of tourism was
transferred to provinces.

2016 KP launched first Provincial Tourism Tourism Policy.

Challenges Faced by
Tourism Sector in
PAKISTAN
Pakistan’s Rating on the Travel &
Tourism Competitiveness Index
Pakistan is on the 125th positon out of 141
countries on Travel and Tourism
Competitiveness Index as per the Travel
&Tourism Competitiveness Report 2015
compiled by World Economic Forum.
 Key Reasons of Pakistan’s Low Rating on
the Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index

• Prioritization of tourism sector 120th rank

• Safety and Security 138th rank
• Human Resources 138th rank
• Tourist services infrastructure 125th rank
• Enabling Environment 125th rank
• Travel and Tourism Policy 123rd rank
• Country Infrastructure 107th rank
• Air transport infrastructure 105th rank
• Environmental sustainability 141st rank
• Source: T&T Competitiveness report 2015 by World Economic Forum
 Way Forward
• Government should give priority status to Tourism Sector for
economic growth and employment generation
• There is need to establish a National Tourism Authority on urgent
basis
• This National Tourism Authority should establish effective coordination
with all the key stakeholders from public and private sector, including
provincial tourism organizations, tourism trade association and key
government agencies and departments.
• We need to Formulate a National Tourism Policy and National Tourism
Development Strategy in consultation with all the provinces and private
sector.
• Provincial governments should develop province specific Tourism
Development Policies and Plans mainly focused on infrastructure
development, tourism HR development, domestic tourism facilitation
and conservation of natural and cultural resources.
• There is need to establish a better quality assurance mechanism in the
tourist services through regulatory reforms and implementation
system.
Tourism is the most effective
weapon of modern world
We can use this weapon to eliminate
terrorism by creating economic
opportunities and empowering people
at grassroots level
Thanks for
your attention

Aftab Rana Email: stfpak@gmail.com Cell: 0300-9742158