Uplifting tourism

Tourism in Pakistan is a growing industry. In 2018, the British Backpacker Society ranked Pakistan as the world’s top adventure travel destination, describing the country as “one of the friendliest countries on earth, with mountain scenery that is beyond anyone’s wildest imagination.” The country is geographically and ethnically diverse, and has a number of historical and cultural heritage sites.

According to the Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report 2017 released by the World Economic Forum, the direct contribution of travel and tourism to Pakistan’s GDP in 2015 was US$328.3 million, constituting 2.8% of the total GDP. In October 2006, one year after the 2005 Kashmir earthquake, The Guardian released what it described as “the top five tourist sites in Pakistan” to help the country’s tourism industry.

The sites included Lahore, the Karakoram Highway, Karimabad and Lake Saiful Muluk. To promote the country’s unique cultural heritage, Pakistan launched the “Visit Pakistan” marketing campaign in 2007. This campaign involved events throughout the year including fairs and religious festivals, regional sporting events, arts and craft shows, folk festivals and openings of historical museums. In 2009, The World Economic Forum’s Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report ranked Pakistan as one of the top 25% tourist destinations for its World Heritage sites.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage sites are places of outstanding cultural or natural importance to the common heritage of humanity. The programme was founded with the Convention Concerning the Protection of World Cultural and Natural Heritage which was adopted by the General Conference of UNESCO on 16 November 1972 in Paris. Pakistan ratified the convention on 23 July 1976, making its historical sites eligible for inclusion on the list.

Since then, UNESCO has designated six sites in Pakistan as World Heritage sites and eighteen sites are on the tentative list. The first sites to be inducted in the list were Archaeological Ruins at Moenjodaro, Buddhist Ruins of Takht-i-Bahi and Neighbouring City Remains at Sahr-i-Bahlol, and Taxila, all three of which were inscribed as places of cultural significance in 1980.

In 1981 two other sites, Fort and Shalamar Gardens in Lahore and Historical Monuments at Makli, were inscribed. The last site to be designated as a World Heritage site was Rohtas Fort in 1997. All the six inscribed and eighteen tentative sites are listed under the cultural category.