Written By Ch. Faisal Mehmood
As we earlier wrote, the Tourism industry worldwide has been developing faster and deeper since the turn of the present century. Not only have the very concept of Tourist Products obtained new meanings, the various sectors serving those products have also acquired different profiles and different dynamics. Historical and archaeological products, which previously sufficed for marketing of destinations, are now considered ‘static products’; rendering them unsalable, except with activities contrived around them. The current ‘in thing’ for attracting tourists is what experts call ‘Contrived Products’.
Changes in the transportation sector have been the more visible and more influential. From being a ‘developing’ country’s answer to earning foreign exchange and delivering income to poorer communities, Tourism has become the Visitor Economy even to highly developed countries, as we keep on repeating in our pages . The Marketing approaches to promoting Destinations and Products have also changed. Tourist supply markets and civil aviation hubs have changed locations not from one country to the other but from one continent to the other. Grouping of countries have become regional compulsions and the means to socio-economic fulfillment.
Yet, though much talked-about, Globalization remains to be perceived as the reality that it has actually become. And where is Pakistan in all this? Isolated. Bypassed.
And why? Because our politicians in office were devoid of know how – forget vision – and, armed with singular haughtiness, disdain even available opportunities to learn- But not now, The federal and provincial governments, tourism organizations of Sindh, Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan including Pakistan Hotel Industry and many other semi governmental organizations and international Exhibiters are going to stand on one platform for the promotion of tourism trade in Pakistan, that platform is Pakistan Travel Mart. First time in the history of Pakistan such Mega event is going to take place in Karachi.
The event will further gear up tourism activities in Pakistan and will spread awareness about the socio-economic benefits of visitor economy and tourism all over the country. All the stakeholders of the travel & tourism industry has welcomed the idea of Pakistan travel Mart, a brainchild of a leading travel trade businessperson of Pakistan, who is whole-heartedly putting all his efforts and resources to make it a established Travel & tourism brand of Pakistan. Holiday weekly too, whole-heartedly support the idea of PTM and expect from the all the stakeholders of Public and private sector to support the organizers of PTM to make it a big success.
