Feature: Northern hilly areas in Pakistan thirsty for more tourists

Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-22 21:26:32|Editor: ying
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by Misbah Saba Malik

ISLAMABAD, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- Taking a break from his busy schedule as a banker, Kelvin L., an Australian of Chinese origin, visited Pakistan this summer for the South Asian country's scenic beauty with his three friends.

Talking to Xinhua recently, Kelvin said he heard of Pakistan's beauty from a colleague, and he was very impressed by the hospitality of the people in Pakistan and the landscape here and wishes to pack his bags to visit the country again someday.

Kelvin was not the only foreigner who got impressed by the beautiful landscape of the country.

There were many other foreigners who visited the country after the improvement of law and order situation here.

According to World Economic Forum's Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report 2017, the direct contribution of travel and tourism to Pakistan's GDP was 328.3 million U.S. dollars in 2015, constituting 2.8 percent of the total GDP that year. The Pakistani government predicted that tourism will contribute some 9.5 billion U.S. dollars to the country's economy by the year 2025.

The World Economic Forum report also ranked Pakistan as one of the top 25 percent tourist destinations for its World Heritage sites.

The main destinations of choice for tourists to Pakistan are the country's northern mountainous area, which lies at the junction of world's three great mountain ranges including the Karakorum, the Hindukush and the Himalayas.

Some of the 14 highest peaks of the world, including the second highest K-2, are located in the place. Apart from this, the region also hosts some of the largest glaciers of the world, making it an ideal place for mountaineers, trekkers, adventure sports enthusiasts and nature lovers.

The region has also a rich cultural heritage, interesting history, variety of rare fauna and a whole lot of gems in its mighty mountains, including world's rarest gems and rock crystals.

The foreign tourists say that they had a negative perception about Pakistan before visiting here possibly for recent years' terror attacks, but their views changed once they visited the country.

"It's a shame that it gets perceived negatively by media. It's such a wonderful country and the people are so hospitable and nice, wherever we went people offered us tea or meal. Locals invited us to hang out and sing and dance with them and it was a very good experience for me," Kelvin said.

Most of the foreign tourists who visited the scenic north this year believe that Pakistanis are remarkable when it comes to hospitality and the country has a lot to offer to the researchers in its gems and minerals-rich mountains, but there is still a room for improvement with the security issue.

"We didn't see much police, and we only had to go through a few checkpoints," Christopher Tohme told Xinhua.

However, locals said that if the security situation is not good, it is not so bad either.

Taseer Beyg, a photographer from Hunza valley, said that the region does not have any major issue of security. "There were issues there a few years back. But now that issue has been resolved. Foreigners love to explore and meet the locals. Yes, they love to stay in local houses to know more about our language, culture and traditions."

Charles Messolonghi, an Australian tourist, said that if the Pakistani government pays more attention to the roads and other facilities in the area, more tourists will come to the country.

"I'm an adventurist, I loved the roads because they gave me kind of thrill, but other tourists may think them 'unsafe,' and might not dare traveling on them," Messolonghi told Xinhua.

Officials say that despite all odds, the tourism industry of the country is rapidly growing.

The Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation said that Pakistan welcomed 1.75 million tourists last year for the improvement of law and order situation in the country.

Locals said that November marks the beginning of skiing season in the northern snow-topped hilly areas of the country, and they are hopeful to welcome more foreign tourists this year.

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