PAKISTAN has several breathtaking tourist destinations with a landscape ranging from the snow-peaked mountains in the north to the golden beaches in the south.

Given its beauty, Pakistan should be hosting millions of tourists every year. Unfortunately, this has not been the case. Terrorism, extremism, unstable governments and lack of efforts to preserve its heritage sights are a few reasons that Pakistan has little foreign tourists.

International tourism not only brings foreign investments but also broadens horizons and exposes the locals to different cultures and customs. Owing to lack of tourists, a vast majority of Pakistanis belonging to the traditionally tourism-oriented area are somewhat cut off from the outside world and are usually confined to their small societies with no interest in what is happening around the world.

I believe that the new government policy of issuing visa on arrival for nationals from 50 countries is a great step towards encouraging international tourism in Pakistan. Questions might arise as to whether Pakistani nationals are being provided the same benefits.

Let us remember that it is us who are in need of tourism. We need to realise that it is time we stopped relying on foreign aid and started working towards earning foreign investments.

Bakhtiar Ali Khan

Lahore

Published in Dawn, February 11th, 2019