Easy visas

Despite being host to some of the most breathtaking natural wonders of the world, Pakistan’s share of the tourism market in South Asia is a dismal 0.2 percent. While it is understandable that India would dominate tourism in the region, Pakistan has also lagged far behind countries like Nepal and Sri Lanka. This could largely be explained by the fear of terrorism but even as violence has decreased in the country there has been no perceptible increase in tourism. The government is now trying to boost tourism revenue by announcing a series of measures designed to attract visitors from abroad. The most important of these policy decisions is a liberalisation of the visa regime. Visitors from 50 countries will now be given a visa on arrival while from 175 countries applicants will be able to get an e-visa. Travel restrictions within the country have also been eased as tourists will now be able to go to Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan without any restrictions and will also be able to freely enter open cantonment areas. Tour operators will be able to bring large groups hassle-free and business visas will be given more liberally than before.

There are some objections that the government may have gone too far. Generally, countries have reciprocal visa regimes. But we have loosened visa restrictions unilaterally with no other country officially planning to make it any easier for Pakistanis to visit. And removing bureaucratic obstacles to obtaining a visa is no guarantee that more people will want to come to the country. The unfortunate reality is that to the outside world Pakistan is seen as a country of terrorism. Changing that image requires more than handing out visas.

It is also true that other countries in South Asia have made more of an effort to attract the lucrative Western tourist dollars by catering to their needs. They provide top-class resorts, have looser licensing laws and vibrant – and safer – night lives. In Pakistan, meanwhile, the Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation needs to seriously work on its communication strategies. The motives of the government in encouraging tourism are certainly to be admired. But there is no denying that the country has been so thoroughly isolated from the rest of the world for so many years now that it will take more than a liberal visa regime to make us an attractive tourist destination.