RAWALPINDI, June 8: The government’s policies and measures to attract foreign tourists failed to yield any positive results, as the year 2007 during which millions of rupees were spent on celebrating ‘Visit Pakistan Year 2007’ to attract foreign tourists, failed to achieve the mark of one million tourists.

Figures released by the Ministry of Tourism shows the number of tourists in 2007 was less than that of 2006. During the year 2007, Pakistan hosted 0.8395 million foreign tourists as compared to 0.8984 million tourists in 2006, showing a decrease of 6.6 per cent.

However, during the year, the country earned 276.1 million dollars as compared to 260.1 million dollars in 2006 showing an increase of 6.2 per cent. The benefit of increase is mainly attributed to the fluctuations in the exchange rate.

Even the most controversial parachute jump of the then tourism minister Nilofer Bakhtiar in France to promote tourism went in vein. After the controversy, Ms Bakhtiar had to resign from the ministry; however she continued to be member of the Senate.

After becoming the federal minister for Tourism, Ms Bakhtiar designed the “Visit Pakistan Year 2007” programme and launched it within and outside the country with the participation of dignitaries including President Pervez Musharraf and the then prime minister Shaukat Aziz. However, the outcome of the spending running into millions of rupees was disappointing.

The “Visit Pakistan Year 2007” badly flopped without even achieving the target of one million tourists.

The tourism season has commenced but without foreign tourists. The security situation in the country has closed the gateway for Westerners. Travel advisories of European countries, United States, Canada and various other countries have stopped their citizens to visit Pakistan following the bomb blast near the Danish Embassy in Islamabad.

The current energy crisis, rising fuel prices and food inflation have also negatively affected tourism. A survey of hotels and guest houses speaks of poor tourism season. During this season previously, hotels in Rawalpindi used to have many foreign tourists destined for the Northern Areas.

Swat, an important tourist destination is no more a place of attraction for domestic or foreign tourists as the valley has become no less than Waziristan or the tribal belt, being unsafe for tourism. The traffic through Afghanistan and Iran has dried-up due to the situation in the two countries.

Bomb explosions and other acts of sabotage have also created a negative image of the country in the West. A bad tourism season is also costing the economy and in turn the well-being of the people. The survival of business community in major tourists attractions heavily depend on the visiting tourists. For them, 2008 is also not a good year.