Large number of Chinese tourists likely to visit this year

Islamabad : After three gloomy years of cross-border tourism between Pakistan and China due to the COVID-19, the year 2023, the Pakistan-China Year of Tourism Exchanges, is expected to witness a boom in the tourism sector in both countries.

“Exchanges have already started online. We are also working with Chinese tourism associations to develop business linkages. Soon we’ll finalise a calendar of events and activities”, Aftab ur Rehman Rana, managing director of Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC) said.

He believes that China, one of the biggest players in the tourism economy at the global level, will find a lot to explore in Pakistan, where a lot of business opportunities are coming up for individual investments in the tourism and hospitality sector.

“Many Chinese people working under CPEC returned to China during the pandemic, now it’s time for them to come back with their families for a good visit. I expect that a number of Chinese tourists will visit Pakistan if we have better facilitation of border crossing, economical air ticket packages, and inter-city transportation between major cities like Beijing, Urumqi, Islamabad, Lahore,” he said.

The traffic will be two-way. He told China Economic Net that in China, the silk route is a very popular travel route that has also attracted many tourists from Europe. In Pakistan, the rich history, culture, festivity, and music will offer a unique travel experience.