This is a subject that needs a lot of attention, great planning and a heavy amount of work on it. Attention has been given to this matter, what it needs now is planning and implementation, in this regard I would appreciate the  recent relaxed visa policy offered by the government and the people behind the idea of bringing foreign vloggers to Pakistan. But we need to work on some other things and think of some innovative ways of showing the world our little heaven Pakistan.

Let us see it from a point of tourist. What makes us want to visit other countries? To me it is the mesmerizing landscapes and nature, culture, ethnicity, food, adventures and much more; we have all that in Pakistan then where do we lack…

In my perspective these are:

• Safety Concerns
• Hygiene and Sanitation
• Effective and Potential Advertising and Marketing
• Preserving and Owning Our Rich Culture and Ethnic Values

Talking about safety, we need to assure the folks around the world that Pakistan is a safe place to travel through media and other channels, making it a known fact that the armed forces have been successful in bring peace by counter-terrorism operations. Another thing that can be done is taking particular safety measures for all the potential tourist spots round the country or we can introduce a certification by government like “CERTIFIED SAFE”   for places secured by the government you know like halal trademark thing. Also we can introduce a 24/7 helpline exclusive for tourists where all their queries must be answered and issues must be resolved.

Now what I’m bringing into discussion is hygiene and sanitation, the government should take measures to make the tourist spots clean and the local visitors should maintain it. A cluttered and dirty spot drives the people away and unpleasant odor acts as repellent making a bad impression on tourists. Another point in this regard is the hygiene of food, it must be ensured that the food is hygienic. These things will put a good impression on foreign tourists and will prevent them from badmouthing us after returning to their home among their friends and family.

A very important strategy is effective advertising, showing short movies, short documentaries and advertisements at airports, in international flights, in planes and embassies all over the world. The movies, ads and documentaries should be creative, beguiling the viewer to add Pakistan in their bucket list and should not be boring and monotonous. Advertisements must be run on social media and international media, showing chunks of Pakistan’s beauty, culture, food, our wildlife, our rural areas, our hospitability and festivals including special features in international magazines and collaborations with renowned media houses. One important thing to highlight is that the tour to Pakistan won’t cost much and we offer cheap residence and food, this can attract tourists. Like vloggers, we should invite world-class acclaimed photographers having millions of followers on social media accounts and ask them to capture the spell binding northern areas, the vast deserts and skies, the rich culture and ethnicity of all the provinces of Pakistan, the scrumptious food, the colorful festivals and much more. We must invite and host world famous food bloggers and show them and ask them to have a taste of our local rich cuisine. We should set up stalls or buy shops at international airports and embassies selling folk art decorations, jewelries, art pieces showing landscapes, clothes, Pakistani food items, mini trucks rickshaws charpais and stuff. Asking the world renowned Pakistani celebrities to promote tourism through their social media accounts.

Lastly an aspect that has not been highlighted justifiably is the cultural specifics of our rural and urban areas. We do have one of the best natural landscapes but so do the most of the countries of the world, what demarcates us is our rich culture and ethnic values and it must be highlighted and promoted enough. We need to highlight our local dressing, local food, local music; trucks, truck art, rickshaws and carts; our busy bazaars, the masjids, the melas; our darbaars and old infrastructures; and much more. What about showing the world the Chaukandi tombs of Karachi; mohalas and marvels of Old Lahore and the havelis and shrines; clock tower and the surrounding eight bazaars of Faisalabad; the Rohtas and Rawat Fort of Pindi and the hustle and bustle in this city; the Shahi Bazaar of Gujranwala with buildings dated back to British era; the Mohabat Khan Mosque of Peshawar, it’s Sethi mohala, Qissa Khwani and Jeweler’s Bazaar, the famous Charsi Tikka and some Rubab playing in the background; the shrines of Multan and Uch Shareef with some Qawali; sunset over the Indus at Hyderabad and Pacco Qillo; the Hanna Lake of Quetta; the mehals of the Nawabs of Bawalpur and Derawar fort; the Landowne bridge of Sukkar, narrating the folklore of Heer Ranjha at their tomb in Jhang; the Takht-e-Bahi complex in Mardan and Gulbahar village; Dharamrajika stupa of Taxila; the Gawader Bay; the hidden raven of Moulla Chattok in Khuzdar; evening tea at Shimla hills and much more. I haven’t seen more than half of these places and don’t know much about them and I’m sure so does you. These hidden gems must be highlighted.

Above mentioned particularly the ones written in blue italics, are all the ideas, that I can think of, would attract people to see our heavenly homeland and would be inviting enough to them to experience our culture.