Senator Mushahid Hussain said that Pakistan was in ideal destination for ‘spiritual tourism’ that bears potential to transform the country’s tourism landscape. The former chairman Senate Defence Committee stressed on increased public-private partnerships, while noting that the government alone could not manage tourism. Speaking at ‘Tourism for Peace Dialogue’ organized by the Institute of Regional Studies (IRS), and Walnut Travel and Tour Consultancy (WTTC), the Senator praised ‘Kartarpur Corridor’ as an excellent soft power and spiritual transformation hub that needs to be effectively projected globally. He also underlined the need for translating existing goodwill and linkages such as strong ties between Pakistan and China, the enrollment of Afghan and African students in Pakistani universities, and Pakistan’s cordial relations with Muslim countries into a greater promotion of tourism.

He commended IRS for expanding its strategic focus to include promotion of tourism that could help build interfaith harmony and peace in the region. President of IRS, Ambassador Jauhar Saleem highlighted the significant global impact of tourism, contributing 10 percent to the world GDP. Not only leading developed countries such as the US and France generated hundreds of billions from tourism, but also emerging economies like Turkey, UAE and Thailand were earning more from tourism than Pakistan’s total exports. Recalling that Pakistan was a major tourist destination for western tourists in the 1960s and early 1970s, he underscored the need to rebuild ‘Brand Pakistan’ since tourism, trade and investment mostly flowed to countries with a befitting soft image. He also felt that unlike many countries in the region such as India, Sri Lanka and Maldives, Pakistan did not fittingly show case its tourism prowess internationally.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan