DUBAI: A Dubai-based Pakistani artist who created the first digitally enhanced high-resolution tourist map of his homeland, is now developing more detailed maps of Pakistani cities and another project to showcase the country's Buddhism trails.

Mohammad Assam Altaf, 33, a graphic designer who has been working for a Dubai-based company for the past seven years, was struck by the idea to showcase Pakistan’s attractions in a new light in November, when he realized there was no map presenting his homeland's true tourism potential.

"I wanted to do something for Pakistan," Assam told Arab News on Saturday. "Whenever I visit other countries, the first thing I search for is the tourist map. When I was looking for a Pakistan tourist map, I found nothing helpful or interesting, so I decided to take the initiative."

He said that with five kinds of weather, six kinds of beaches, agricultural lands, highest mountains, and different cultures, oldest civilizations, all minerals and resources, Pakistan needs to be showcased to the world, especially as since last year travel visas have been easy to obtain.

"Since last year our visa policy has also changed and we are visa free for many countries while for others we have on arrival visa and e-visa services as well. Tourists are finally coming back to our country after many years of struggle and a detailed map is the first thing they will look for," said the 33-year-old Lahore native.

He relied on his vast experience of travelling not only to remote parts of Pakistan but also to over 25 countries, from which he collected tourist maps that inspired him to create his own.

He spent two weeks digging out pictures of the most important Pakistani landmarks and used five different kinds of software to create the digitally enhanced high-resolution tourist map.

Once the map was made public in January, it became an instant hit on social media. Within a week Assam got a call from the Pakistani prime minister's special assistant, Syed Zulfikar Bukhari and Punjab Governor Ghulam Sarwar.

He then also met officials from Tourism Development Corporation of Pakistan (TDCP) and Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC) and volunteered to make similar maps for Lahore, Karachi, and Islamabad. “I volunteered for the projects and delivered all the maps within six months,” he said.

The tourism map for Punjab was launched officially on Jan. 28, 2020. It was also announced that Assam would receive Rs100,000 as a token of appreciation. While still waiting for the promise to be fulfilled, Assam started working on Pakistan's Buddhism trails project.

He has also completed the first map of tourist attractions of Saudi Arabia, which should be launched as soon as the coronavirus situation eases and tourism in the kingdom gets back on track.

“The Saudi map is yet to be launched, everything has been put on hold due to COVID-19,” he said.