ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has made a big jump on the International Travel and Tourism Development Index by moving up six places, the World Economic Forum said in its latest report released on Sunday.

The 2021 edition of the index, “Rebuilding for a sustainable and resilient future”, placed Pakistan at 83rd place out of 117 countries. The previous edition, released in 2019, had placed Pakistan at the 89th spot.

Aftabur Rehman Rana, Managing Director of the Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC), said the country’s improved standing constituted a “significant progress”.

The PTDC chief said the federal and provincial governments had made tremendous efforts for upgrading the tourism infrastructure, the business environment, the safety and security factor, as well as health and hygiene.

“It shows in the index.”

“Although we have made good progress, a lot still needs to be done to improve the tourism sector’s performance as it has the potential to play a key role in the country’s socio-economic development,” he added.

Japan grabbed the top spot on the tourism index, followed by the US, Spain, France, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Singapore and Italy.

Talking to Dawn, former Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Tourism Coordination Azam Jamil said he had always stressed the need for improving the sector’s supply side rather than the demand side.

“First we need to elevate our infrastructure, improve our safety record and pay attention to hygiene, especially when inviting foreigners.

“I had always told the (former) prime minister that first we need to get our house in order instead of running after numbers. Once we get our product in order, the numbers will automatically improve,” he said.

Azam Jamil said the provincial governments had a big role to play in making the country tourist-friendly. “Provincial governments have a huge responsibility to ensure environmental social and cultural sustainability. It is imperative to involve local communities as they are direct beneficiaries of all progress,” he said.

Published in Dawn, May 30th, 2022