WRITTEN BY CH FAISAL MAHMOOD
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, digital communication and hospitality 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 again and again 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? Still Isolated. Bypassed.
And why? Because of our circumstances, regional fights and 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, things are changing fast, the way tourism is changing worldwide. The modern tourism success stories are impacting our mind, determination and will to do tourism very effectively.
We saw that the federal and provincial governments, tourism organizations of Sindh, Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan including Pakistan Hotel, Travel and airline Industry and many other semi-governmental organizations along with international Exhibiters stood 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 has taken place in Karachi.
The successful happening 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 played a positive role to give a strong push to Pakistan tourism to ‘Move Forward’.
Congratulations to the industry and to Elderly Man, who whole-heartedly, put all his efforts and resources to make it a established Travel & tourism brand of Pakistan.
Congratulations to Mr. Hamdani and his team also for organizing such mega tourism event in tourism starves Pakistan.
