Pakistan launches new project to attract international tourism

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif presents souvenir to Iran's tourism minister Ezzatollah Zarghami on the launching ceremony of Pakistan's tourism brand 'Salam Pakistan' in Islamabad on August 4, 2023. (PID)
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Updated 04 August 2023
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Pakistan launches new project to attract international tourism

  • Known as ‘Salam Pakistan,’ the country’s tourism brand will aim to build a positive image abroad
  • Government has also launched an e-portal to lead foreign travelers to various tourist attractions

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif on Friday inaugurated a new project to promote Pakistan’s tourist attractions across the world and provide authentic information about them to foreign travelers interested in visiting the country, the state-owned Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) news agency reported.

Named “Salam Pakistan,” the tourism brand will focus on building the country’s image as a safe, secure, friendly, and hospitable place with attractive tourism destinations, including scenic mountains, lakes, and sites of deep cultural, religious, and historical significance.

The project will also highlight different food varieties, accommodation, travel modes, and infrastructure facilities offered by the South Asian state to tourists.

“Allah Almighty has blessed our country with great natural resources of scenic beauty all over the northern areas, which can be converted into a great opportunity,” the prime minister said while addressing the inauguration ceremony.

A newly launched e-portal to facilitate tourists contains information on top 20 tourist destinations in the country, including K2, Gwadar, Ziarat Valley, Uch Sharif, Deosai National Park, Kalash Valley, Takht Bhai, Hingol National Park, Shandur Pass, Kambhar Lake, Fairy Meadows, Ratti Gali, Lahore Fort, Makli Graveyard, Derawar Fort, Rohtas Fort, Kumrat Valley, Hunza Valley, and Mohenjo-Daro.

“[The e-portal] guides tourists about the beaches and waterfalls, nature and landscape, festivals, spiritual tourism, and eco-tourism,” the APP said.

According to the Pakistan Tourism Department Corporation (PTDC), the country’s tourism industry generated $2.5 billion of revenue in 2022 and the figure was expected to go up to $4 billion in the next four years.


Pakistan arrests two suspected human smugglers amid ongoing crackdown

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Pakistan arrests two suspected human smugglers amid ongoing crackdown

  • Islamabad has intensified crackdown on human trafficking after multiple boat tragedies involving Pakistani migrants in recent years
  • This week, crew members of humanitarian rescue ship Ocean Viking rescued several Pakistanis among 44 migrants off the coast of Libya

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has arrested two human smugglers from the eastern province of Punjab, the agency said on Sunday, as part of an ongoing nationwide crackdown to dismantle trafficking networks and curb illegal migration.

Islamabad has intensified its crackdown on human trafficking networks after multiple boat tragedies resulted in its citizens getting killed in recent years. This week, crew members of humanitarian rescue ship Ocean Viking rescued Pakistanis among 44 migrants off Libya’s coast.

The FIA said it had conducted raids in Punjab’s Okara and Mianwali districts and arrested two suspects involved in visa fraud and human smuggling, who had swindled a few individuals out of Rs1.15 million ($4,142) on pretext of sending them to Oman.

“The suspects had gone into hiding after receiving money from citizens,” the agency said in a statement. “An investigation has been launched after the arrest of the suspects.”

Several Pakistanis attempt the dangerous and illegal journey each year in a bid to escape surging inflation and opt for a better life as the cash-strapped country navigates a tricky path to economic recovery from a macroeconomic crisis.

In 2023, hundreds of migrants, including 262 Pakistanis, drowned when an overcrowded vessel sank in international waters off the southwestern Greek town of Pylos, marking one of the deadliest boat disasters ever recorded in the Mediterranean Sea.

Other incidents have also seen Pakistani migrants perish in shipwrecks off Italy, Tunisia and Libya, highlighting the persistent risks faced by people attempting irregular sea crossings to Europe.

Pakistani authorities have repeatedly urged citizens not to undertake such perilous journeys, while international agencies warn that smugglers continue to exploit economic hardship and conflict to lure migrants onto unsafe boats.