After the 18th amendment to the Constitution of Pakistan, tourism along with several other subjects came under the control of the provinces. Prior to that, this subject was in the concurrent list and the federal government and the Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC) had a major say in the formation of tourism policies and development of tourism sites. The provinces would be dependent on their support and advice. Besides, a large number of properties at prime tourist locations were in the possession of PTDC which is still not willing to pass these on to the provinces in whose jurisdiction these are located.

Against this backdrop, the provinces realised it was up to them to develop their own tourism products and market these to the local as well as foreign tourists. No doubt provinces have immense potential but a major problem has been that they have historically faced lack of financial resources to develop communication infrastructure and tourism facilities on their own. The main focus of the government has remained on developing northern areas where the natural beauty and the climate have succeeded in attracting millions of tourists.

Punjab, the largest province in terms of population, has been trying to promote its tourism and culture and working on portraying a soft image of the country in general and the province in particular. Over the last couple of years, several seminars and conferences were organised to invite suggestions on how to market the province to the tourists. A large number of suggestions poured in and a highly relevant one was to first identify the locations of interest for tourists and then plan to market these as must-visit destinations.

The latest update is that the Tourism Development Corporation of Punjab (TDCP) has developed a ‘Punjab Destinations Software’ identifying 480 tourism sites across the province and made it accessible to general public. They can use various search tools, dropdown menus, Geographical Information System (GIS) maps etc to select destination in different divisions, districts and tehsils and get the information for each of these entries. The software also helps users get directions to these places and informs them about the facilities available there.

Khalid Bashir, Chief of the Planning & Development (P&D) wing of TDCP, tells The News on Sunday (TNS)  that a local Pakistani firm --Pakistan Environmental Planning and Architectural Consultants (PEPAC) -- was engaged as a consultant to travel across the province, carry out detailed surveys of the existing and potential sites.

The firm (a public sector enterprise), he says, was selected through a competitive bidding process. He says the total budget for the whole exercise spanning around six months was Rs 9.962 million approved by the Planning and Development Department, Government of Punjab and the Provincial Development Working Party (PDWP).

He explains that the software can be accessed by anybody by visiting the website www.tdcp.gop.pk, clicking the logo "Punjab Destinations Software" on the left margin of the homepage and then logging in under the username: guest and password 111111.

Once there the visitors can look for these 480 tourist locations categorised under the heads of existing, potential & explored, historical, cultural, religious, recreational, unexplored, government titled and private titled sites in the database. Though there are different search options, the easiest one is to click any of the locations marked on Punjab map and open the concerned window.

The potential and so far unexplored sites, as per this data, include Jhatla Dam in Chakwal/Talagang, Pir Haibat Shah Qalandri Baithak in Jhelum/Sohawa, Shujabad Public Park in Multan/Shujabad, Dewan Sawan Temple in Multan, Teenpura Reservoir in Jhelum/Dina, Dhan Gali Lake View in Kallar Syedan/Rawalpindi, Mazarat Ashab-e-Rasool in Bahawalpur/Yazman, Date Palm Garden in Dera Ghazi Khan, Marri Hill Station in Rajanpur, Harrand Fort in Rajanpur/Jampur and Lakhmir Desert Resort in Bhakkar/Mankera.

Detailed information is available for all these sites -- type of tourist attractions, brief description of the place, estimated number of visitors per annum, frequency of visits, seasonal variation in the number of visitors, approximate age and gender of tourists, distance from main cities, population, available transport mode and travel time from particular locations, land title (public or private), approach roads, available services such as public buildings (dispensary, rest house, etc.), restaurant within 5 kilometre radius, access to utilities such as electricity, phone and drinking water supply, flora and fauna, visitors’ satisfaction level, the category of and the intervention(s) required to boost tourism.

Additionally, there are details like the rationale of proposal for intervention (Such as local terrain, weather, visitors preferences, local culture, land contours), tentative land requirement for desired intervention, recommended mode of intervention (Government, Public Private Partnership (PPP), Private or others), mode of operation and expected increase in tourist inflow after the intervention.

Tauseef Ahmed, IT specialist at TDCP, says, "Though effort has been made to upload the best possible information, users are invited to send any exclusive information or pictures they have about these sites." There is a picture gallery for every location included in the database, so users would request the website users to send pictures if they have these in high resolution.

"Users can also suggest any sites that they think can become popular tourist destinations after required interventions," he adds.

Ahmer Malick, Managing Director TDCP, tells TNS that Punjab offers immense tourism options and the department is striving to take advantage and boost the sector.

"In the post-devolution scenario too, the TDCP has been as active as it was in 1988-89 when it was established. The department established the first stopover at Kharian when there was no concept of having such spots on highways and installed chairlift in Patriata 25 years ago," he remarks.

He also says the said software will help people from different walks realise how rich the province is in terms of tourism opportunities, culture, archaeology and history and guide the planners on how to promote these places.