How technology killed #Pakistan’s historic red light district of Heera Mandi in #Lahore

http://gulfnews.com/news/asia/pakistan/how-technology-killed-pakist...

Pakistan’s oldest red light district was for centuries a hub of traditional erotic dancers, musicians and prostitutes - Pigalle with a Mughal twist, deep in the heart of vibrant Lahore.
But as an e-commerce boom revolutionises how Pakistanis conduct the world’s oldest profession, locals say the historic Heera Mandi district is under threat.
Balconies where beautiful women once stood are now empty, while rust eats away at the locked doors of vacant rooms. The only stubborn hold-outs are shops selling instruments that once facilitated the aperitifs of music and dance.
Men now can book a rendezvous online through escort websites or even directly with women over social media, instead of searching out streetside solicitation.
With location rendered meaningless, sex workers like Reema Kanwal - who says the business “runs in my blood” - have abandoned Heera Mandi.

The district, whose name translates as “Diamond Market”, is close to the echoing, centuries-old Badshahi Mosque.
During the Mughal era, the empire that ruled most of India and Pakistan in the 15th and 16th centuries, Heera Mandi was a centre for mujra, traditional singing and dancing performed for the elites.
The wealthy even sent their sons to the salons of tawaifs, high-class courtesans that have been likened to Japanese geishas, to study etiquette.
Later, when the British came, distinctions between courtesan or mujra dancer and prostitute were blurred.
Dance and sex became intertwined, and Heera Mandi began its long slide into sordidness - but even so, Reema remembers “glorious” days.
Reema’s mother and grandmother were also prostitutes, making her part of Heera Mandi’s generations of women who danced and pleased men in the market.
“People used to respect the prostitutes of Heera Mandi, we were called artists,” she says - but all has changed over the last decade. “Now we don’t have any honour.”
She blames the loss on a rush of girls without her family background taking up the profession who have not been taught “how to treat people” the way she has.
Diamonds in the rough
Such girls, she says, need nothing to market themselves but a mobile phone, with which they can advertise on Facebook or Locanto, some offering services over Skype for as little as 300 rupees ($3).
Dozens of escort services with online bookings claim to serve thousands of clients in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad.
In a deeply conservative Muslim country where prostitution is banned and sex outside marriage is criminalised, one website says it caters to roughly 50,000 customers.
With the old traditions falling by the wayside, girls also no longer need an entourage of musicians and teachers, say the owners of the music shops that are the final remnants of old Heera Mandi.
The intricate mujra dancing that was such a foundation of the red light district required years of teaching and live musicians. Now girls learn easy but provocative dance moves via YouTube.
“They take a USB or sometimes they don’t even need that, they have songs in their cellphones, they plug a cable and play the music,” laments Soan Ali, one of the music shop owners.
Like Reema, Ali’s family has also been in Heera Mandi for generations, and he proudly recalled his father’s “hospitality” as he attempted to lure clients for his mother.

Over 1 million visitors in Pakistan's Northern Areas this year. 

More than one million domestic as well as foreign tourists visited Northern Areas during the current season to enjoy adventure tourism.

The ratio of tourists increased by 25 percent as compared to last year due to the measures taken by the government for improved law and order situation in those areas," said Mukhtar Ali, Manager

Policy and Promotion of Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC).

He said that Pakistan has a great potential for adventure toursism, adding that the country has the world highest mountains in knot of four great mountain ranges, the Hindu Kush, Pamir, Karakoram and the Himalayas.

He said that the country has the distinction of having five peaks above 8,000 meters each including the second loftiest mountain of K-2.

He said that the country also has the largest glaciers on the globe outside the polar region, adding that these mountains and glaciers offer a tremndous attraction for adventurers.

He said that in current season, number of domestic tourists as well as increased, adding that PTDC is planning to further streamline facilities for tourists in various destinations.

Mukhtar Ahmed said that PTDC is in consultations with provinces for devising joint strategy for improving tourism sector.

He said that about one million tourists visited the northern areas during this summer season.

He said it is a good sign that the people are visiting tourists points without security especially Naran, Ayubia, Swat, Gilgit and Skardu.

Replying to a question, he said PTDC has a chain of 39 motels and three restaurants, which are providing best facilities to the tourists.

He said,"We are providing international level boarding and lodging facilities to the visitors."

http://www.brecorder.com/pakistan/general-news/312565-tourists-rati...

#Chinese consortium to launch new #airline in #Pakistan. #China #FDI #CPEC #PIA

http://nation.com.pk/national/05-Nov-2016/chinese-consortium-to-lau...

Praising the country’s economy as capable of absorbing and capitalising the direct foreign investment, the Chinese investors have expressed their interest in launching a new airline in Pakistan for which they would be discussing modalities with the Government of Pakistan.

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The delegation apprised the Prime Minister that they are bringing $3 billion Investment Fund to Pakistan because of the vision of the Prime Minister that focus on infrastructure development and energy sectors.

The Chinese delegation also expressed its intent to explore possibility of starting a new airline in Pakistan after the permission from the Government of Pakistan. The Chinese side said that it is actively pursuing its investments in infrastructure, power, aviation and tourism sectors of Pakistan.

“We fully appreciate the vision of Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif which enunciates that economic prosperity is an offshoot of infrastructure connectivity and self-sufficiency in the energy sector,” the members of the delegation stated.

#Hyatt Announces Plans for 4 New Hotels in #Pakistan. #CPEC #Tourism #Karachi #Lahore #Islamabad #Rawalpindi
http://www.newschannel10.com/story/33688357/hyatt-announces-entry-i...

Expansion of Grand Hyatt and Hyatt Regency brands in Pakistan in co-operation with Bahria Town key to enhancing worldwide customer preference

CHICAGO --(BUSINESS WIRE)
Hyatt Hotels Corporation (NYSE: H) announced today plans to expand its Grand Hyatt and Hyatt Regency brands in Pakistan with the signing of management agreements by a Hyatt affiliate for four Hyatt-branded hotels: Grand Hyatt Islamabad, Hyatt Regency Karachi, Hyatt Regency Lahore, and Hyatt Regency Rawalpindi. Bahria Town, one of the largest private developers in Asia, will own the four Hyatt-branded hotels.

“We look forward to collaborating with the Bahria team to open the first Grand Hyatt and Hyatt Regency hotels in Pakistan,” said Peter Norman, senior vice president, acquisitions and development – Europe, Africa, and Middle East (EAME) and Southwest Asia for Hyatt. “Following last year’s announcement for the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), we are optimistic about the growth of Hyatt’s brands in Pakistan. The opening of these hotels will serve as a testament to the global appeal of the Grand Hyatt and Hyatt Regency brands as they continue to expand worldwide and offer more choices to our guests.”

With the announcement a Grand Hyatt and three Hyatt Regency hotels in Pakistan, Hyatt is taking another step in growing its brand footprint in the Middle East and Southwest Asia. The EAME/Southwest Asia region is a significant growth opportunity for Hyatt as the segment accounts for approximately 25 percent of the company’s executed contract rooms base. As of December 31, 2015, the Company had approximately 60 Hyatt-branded hotels under development in EAME/Southwest Asia.

Grand Hyatt Islamabad will be meticulously designed to exemplify the Grand Hyatt brand’s signature level of grandeur with an abundance of options for creating spectacular experiences. Expected to open in 2023, the hotel will offer 400 guestrooms, seven food and beverage outlets, two ballrooms, seven meeting rooms, a spa, fitness facilities, private club, and kids club. Additionally, the hotel will be the first internationally-branded golf resort in Pakistan and will have a state-of-the-art golf club house. The hotel and golf club will be easily accessible from the Murree-Islamabad Expressway, which connects directly to Islamabad's city center and diplomatic area 30 minutes away.

Hyatt Regency Karachi will offer a range of amenities, as well as spaces that will make the hotel a go-to gathering place for any occasion. The hotel will feature approximately 200 guestrooms, a lobby lounge, three-meal restaurant, and more than 17,000 square feet (1,600 square meters) of flexible meeting and event space. The hotel is expected to open in 2023.

Hyatt Regency Lahore will deliver on the modern expectations of today’s travelers and meeting planners.The hotel will feature authentic food and beverage offerings that will build off the Hyatt Regency brand’s history of culinary excellence. The hotel will serve as the perfect venue for a variety of events such as weddings, social banquets, exhibitions, meetings, and conferences. Additionally, the hotel will feature a private club offering food and beverage outlets, tennis courts and banquet facilities, among other amenities. The hotel is expected to open in 2021.

Hyatt Regency Rawalpindi will be designed to connect today’s travelers to who and what matters most to them. The 165-room hotel will offer multiple food and beverage outlets and more than 11,000 square feet (1,100 square meters) of flexible meeting and event space. The hotel is expected to open in 2022.

New Islamabad Airport will further promote the progressive image of Pakistan: PM

http://tribune.com.pk/story/1224889/briefed-pm-reviews-progress-pro...


ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday said that the new Islamabad Airport will be an icon of excellence and will further promote the progressive image of Pakistan.

The prime minister expressed these views while chairing a meeting on Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) and aviation affairs at the PM House.

He reviewed the progress on the new airport and was apprised that all construction packages of the new airport are on track. He directed to complete the link road project from Rawalpindi to New Islamabad Airport by March 2017.

New Islamabad airport gets another deadline

The National Highway Authority was also directed to monitor the quality of work on the link road project according to the required standards. The overall performance of the national carrier during the last six months was also reviewed, while the PIA chairman gave a presentation to participants of the meeting and informed that significant increase in revenue has been registered.

PAKISTAN’S TOURISM INDUSTRY GRADUALLY RECOVERING
http://www.brecorder.com/pakistan/industries-a-sectors/328271-pakis...

With 2016 already a record year for the tourism sector in Pakistan at the local level, tourism was gradually recovering from the dark era of post September 11, 2001.

The country hopes to once again attract international tourists who had deserted it for the past 15 years, according to an articled published in "Asialyst" a Paris-based Website.

As Pakistan was one of the countries most affected by terrorism, since last year foreign travellers have been returning little by little.

In Karimabad, a small village overlooking the Hunza Valley in the Gilgit-Baltistan province of northern Pakistan, Lal Hussain, 65, looked out at the view of the river and the snow-capped peaks of the Karakoram.

It was the season when the apricot trees were in bloom and the water from the melting of the glaciers irrigated the valley.

With his son and nephews, Lal Hussain runs the Hunza Inn, one of the oldest hostels in Karimabad, established in 1980. "It's not like before," he sighed.

In the past fifteen years, Lal Hussain has lost 80% of his turnover. "Because of the foreign media, tourists have a biased image of Pakistan and are afraid to visit the region," he said.

Seated around the large common table of the Hunza Inn, however, were some Chinese tourists who had ventured into the Pakistani mountains, and Fabrizio, an Italian from Rome.

After travelling extensively in India, Fabrizio was discovering the country for the first time. "It's true that my family was afraid when I told them I was leaving for Pakistan," he said. "But in reality, we don't feel any danger here at all, there is no problem."

He said he intended to hike, relax and visit the region.

Fabrizio was the only European in the village.

Twenty years ago, Karimabad was the gateway for all foreign backpackers and trekkers, said Lal Hussain. "In summer, the high season, we even had to refuse people," he added.

Gilgit-Baltistan region is a paradise for mountaineers.

Located at the junction of the Hindu Kush and Karakoram ranges, between India, China and Afghanistan, it is home to five out of fourteen mountain peaks in the world that are over 8,000 metres high, including the mythical K2.

The hippie trail and the golden age of tourism in Pakistan Lal Hussain's story is one of a flourishing industry that collapsed. Now, it is gradually reviving.

In 2015, Pakistan attracted 5,634 foreign tourists. According to the biennial report of the World Economic Forum, Pakistan ranks 125th in the world in terms of foreign tourists.

From Sindh, with its sandy beaches, to Punjab and its palaces, from the old city of Lahore to the heights of the Himalayas, not to mention the Cholistan desert, the "Country of the Pure" possesses all the trump cards it needs to attract travellers from all over the world, the articled noted.

Pakistan can become a well known destination for leisure tourism
http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2016/11/13/city/pakistan-can-become...

Clifton Beach is the most popular beach among domestic tourists and most of the locals are not even aware of any beach other than Clifton beach.

Talking to APP, Managing Director Abdul Ghafoor said Clifton Beach is very close to Karachi city and famous for camel and buggy ridings and for family picnics, yet there were other beautiful beaches in the country that tourists ought to know of.

Hawke’s Bay is less crowded with clearer water –leisure seekers and holiday makers may rent a hut to spend a weekend there.

Sandspit Beach is good for swimming and sun bathing -the water there flows through an unusual rocky formation.

French Beach is one of the most beautiful beaches around Karachi -with clearer water and fresh air- is a rocky beach, he said.

Paradise Point beach is good for family picnics and camel or horse riding – there is a natural rock formation that looks like a carved archway, which is an amazing point to enjoy the sea view.

Devil’s Point beach is a good point to have some silent and peaceful time away from the city hustle and bustle.

Kund Malir Beach, a desert beach is a nice drive on Coastal Highway to Balochistan – the area belongs to Hingol Park, and is situated just 145 km from zero point.

Gadani Beach is one of the beautiful beaches of Pakistan it is commonly known a harbor for ship breaking.

Gwadar Beach is one of the most beautiful beaches of Balochistan with most clearer and in emerald color waters located in Arabian Sea he said.

Pasni Beach is commonly famous for its fishing harbor – one can have a good camping experience there.

West Bay Beach is located in Gwadar – the beach is going to be developed for future leisure tourism, added Abdul Ghafoor.

New #Islamabad international #airport to be ready for operation by July 2017. #Pakistan http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2017/01/31/new-islamabad-airport-to... … via @epakistantoday

The New Islamabad Airport in Islamabad will be ready for operations by late July.

Around 95pc work on the New, Islamabad International Airport has been completed and the remaining would be done by March 2017.

The facility will then be inaugurated by the prime minister on August 14.

During a high-level meeting to review progress on the new Islamabad Airport and its allied infrastructure at the PM House in Islamabad with officials of the Aviation Division, National Highway Authority (NHA), Islamabad Mayor, and other officials, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif stated that infrastructure projects were the backbone of our economy and essential for the public.

The premier was informed that the new airport would have a capacity to handle 4,500 passengers at a time with 15 parking bays and terminal gates. Moreover, the airport would be able to accommodate two A-380 aircraft would be able to dock simultaneously. Further, the new airport would have state-of-the-art facilities such as cargo handling, safety and security, passenger facilitation and parking services.

With regards to allied infrastructure for the new airport, the NHA chairman said that the facility would be serviced through two main access road leading off from the M-1 and M-2 motorways. It would also have a road leading from the main GT Road (N-5).

Moreover, the airport can also be accessed through the Islamabad Metro from the Golra Mor. The PM will also inaugurate the new metro link along with the airport on August 14. Nawaz directed that no compromise should be made on the quality of work on the airport, access roads or the Metro Bus link. The prime minister was further informed that work on the new terminal at the Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore is expected to commence in March 2017.

Upsurge in the influx of tourists
The Pakistani economy was able to generate approximately $1 billion in revenue because of the 1,040,000 international tourists who arrived in 2015. This tourist figure is projected to reach 1.7 million by the year 2025. This will, in turn, help Pakistan to be the world’s fastest-growing Muslim economy ahead of Indonesia, Malaysia, Turkey and Egypt by 2017.

Improvement in employment rate
In the midst of an increase in tourism and better security conditions of the country, the number of people employed directly by the hospitality industry reached 1,429,500 in 2015. The employment rate is projected to increase by 2.1% per annum over the next 10 years.

Increase in investment
Due to the sheer beauty in Pakistan, the investment which this particular sector received in the year 2015 was USD 3272 million which made up 9.3% of the total investment done in the country. Over the next ten years, this investment rate is forecasted to rise by 7.6% pa over the next ten years. Due to the ongoing CPEC mega project whose main highlight is the Gawadar city, a huge chunk of this investment is allocated to the construction of ten hotels in this city which can in turn boost tourism in the area.

https://en.dailypakistan.com.pk/business/state-of-pakistans-travel-...

Exclusive: CPEC master plan revealed

https://www.dawn.com/news/1333101

One of the most intriguing chapters in the plan is the one that talks about the development of a “coastal tourism” industry. It speaks of a long belt of coastal enjoyment industry that includes yacht wharfs, cruise homeports, nightlife, city parks, public squares, theaters, golf courses and spas, hot spring hotels and water sports. The belt will run from Keti Bunder to Jiwani, the last habitation before the Iranian border. Then, somewhat disappointingly, it adds that “more work needs to be done” before this vision can be realized.

The plans are laid out in surprising detail. For instance, Gwadar will feature international cruise clubs that “provide marine tourists private rooms that would feel as though they were ‘living in the ocean’”. And just as the feeling sinks in, it goes on to say that “[f]or the development of coastal vacation products, Islamic culture, historical culture, folk culture and marine culture shall all be integrated.” Apparently more work needs to be done here too.

For Ormara, the plan recommends building “unique recreational activities” that would also encourage “the natural, exciting, participatory, sultry, and tempting characteristics” to come through. For Keti Bunder it recommends wildlife sanctuaries, an aquarium and a botanical garden. For Sonmiani, on the eastern edge of Karachi, “projects like a coastal beach, extended greenway, coastal villa, car camp, SPA, beach playground and a seafood street can be developed.”

It is an expansive vision that the plan lays out, and towards the end, it asks for the following: “Make the visa-free tourism possible with China to provide more convenient policy support for Chinese tourists to Pakistan.” There is no mention of a reciprocal arrangement for Pakistani nationals visiting China.

THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE > BUSINESS
CPEC investments lift Pakistan’s hospitality industry

https://tribune.com.pk/story/1445622/cpec-investments-lift-pakistan...

Infrastructure investments for the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) have given a helping hand to Pakistan’s hospitality industry as new hotels and guest houses are emerging in different parts of the country, said Jovago Asia Chief Executive Officer Nadine Malik.

“Pakistan’s middle class is growing and with higher disposable incomes, people are shelling out more money for leisure activities,” she said in an interview with The Express Tribune. “This is expected to further grow in coming months.”

Pakistan has achieved 5.3% gross domestic product (GDP) growth – the highest in a decade – in the outgoing fiscal year 2016-17. Gradual improvement in macroeconomic indicators and security situation since 2013 has helped all important sectors in the country.

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“Chinese are coming to Pakistan in big numbers, which is also an opportunity for us,” she said, adding though most of them are coming to work on mega projects where they have company accommodations, there is still potential for the hospitality industry as new guest houses are being constructed in the country.

While refusing to share the exact data of annual hotel bookings, Malik said the total number of visitors on the hotel booking portal jovago.net has crossed 3 million since the website’s launch in 2014.

Jovago caters to domestic tourists while only 2% of its customers are foreigners. Its top season is June and July mainly due to summer vacations. In its first year of operations, most of its clients travelled to Naran and Kaghan in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, but later people also took interest in Muzaffarabad, Azad Kashmir, Hunza, Skardu and Gilgit-Baltistan. She said places like Naran, Kaghan, Hunza, Skardu and Muzaffarabad are open only for four to five months from April to August, so a lot of Jovago’s traffic is also concentrated in these months.

The second busy season is December during which families travel mostly from one big city (like Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad) to another due to winter vacations. A lot of travellers from mid-tier cities (like Faisalabad) also go to Islamabad and Lahore.

Most of the portal’s clients make business trips to Karachi, typically for just a few hours. However, due to improving security conditions in the city, a lot of them are now bringing their families with them to stay for a few days.

For instance, Malik said Arabian Country Club – a sprawling place with sports facilities such as golf and others about 45 kilometres east of Karachi – is usually booked out all the time.

“Our hotel partners in Karachi say that their occupancy rate, which was not more than 50% in 2014 on a good day, is now in the range of 70-80% mainly due to improving security situation in the financial capital of Pakistan.”

According to the Jovago CEO, the concept of long weekends is gaining momentum in Pakistan. For instance, a considerable number of people travelled around March 23 – a national holiday – that has been falling around weekends for the last two years.

Challenges

Malik said a lot of people still hesitate to travel inside the country due to perceived security threats. Apart from this, she added, there is a lot of room for improvement in terms of roads and other infrastructure facilities that could increase domestic tourism.

She felt that Pakistan needs more four and five-star hotels because the country has many two and three-star hotels but it lacks big ones.

According to Jovago Pakistan estimates, Pakistan’s annual travel, tourism and business travel spending exceeds over $12 billion. Leisure travel spending is expected to grow from $10.3 billion in 2016 to $17.6 billion in 2026 while business travel spending is expected to jump from $1.9 billion in 2016 to $3.3 billion in 2026.

Pakistan improves ranking on tourism competitiveness index

https://www.dawn.com/news/1325829/pakistan-improves-ranking-on-tour...

With less than a million foreign tourists visiting the country on an average, Pakistan has been able to improve its ranking by one point in 2017 – currently at 124 out of 136 countries – covered in the Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index 2017 released by the World Economic Forum.

Earlier, the country was ranked 125 out of 141 countries in 2015.

Average receipts per arrival have been estimated at $328.3 whereas total receipt has been amounted to $317 million, with travel and tourism competitiveness has a share of 2.8 per cent of GDP.

The worst ranking for Pakistan pointed out by the report was visa requirements where ranking was 135 out of 136 countries. The government’s prioritisation of travel and tourism industry was ranked at 132 among the 136 countries surveyed by the report, while the sustainability of travel and tourism industry development got the ranking of 128. Effectiveness of marketing and branding to attract tourists got the ranking of 125.

The quality of tourism infrastructure got the ranking of 123 while hotel rooms got ranking of 129.

Pakistan has a total of 36 world heritage cultural sites and attractiveness of natural assets scored 127.

In 2017, the travel and tourism industry continues to make a real difference to the lives of millions of people by driving growth, creating jobs, reducing poverty and fostering development and tolerance. For the sixth consecutive year, industry growth outperforms that of the global economy, showcasing the industry’s resilience in the face of global geopolitical uncertainty and economic volatility.

The industry contributed $7.6 trillion to the global economy, which was 10.2 per cent of global GDP, and generated 292 million jobs in 2016.

International arrivals followed suit, reaching 1.2 billion in 2016, 46 million more than in 2015. These promising figures are expected to continue increasing in the coming decade, report says.

Research shows that for every 30 new tourists to a destination one new job is created; and already today, the travel and tourism industry has almost twice as many women employers as other sectors. In 2016, nearly 4 billion people traveled by plane, a number expected to reach 7.2 billion by 2035.

The report says that travel and tourism competitiveness is improving, especially in developing countries and particularly in the Asia-Pacific region. As the industry continues to grow, an increasing share of international visitors are coming from and travel to emerging and developing nations.

In an increasingly protectionist context – one that is hindering global trade – the travel and tourism industry continues building bridges rather than walls between people, as made apparent by increasing numbers of people traveling across borders and global trends toward adopting less restrictive visa policies.

Despite the growing awareness of the importance of the natural environment to tourism growth, the travel and tourism sector faces enormous difficulties in developing sustainably, as natural degradation proceeds on a number of fronts, report points out.

Spain, France and Germany continue to top the travel and tourism rankings but Asia steals the show as the region’s largest economies show the greatest rise in tourism-friendliness. Asia’s largest markets are not only becoming larger source markets but also more attractive destinations.

Almost all of the region’s countries improved their ranking. Except for Japan, Hong Kong, China, South Korea and Malaysia also made it to the top 30, while India made the largest leap in the top 50 to land in fortieth place.

The United Arab Emirates, ranked 29th globally, continues to be the most travel and tourism competitive country in the region by far. Its performance continues to improve since 2015; the country welcomed 14.4 million international visitors in 2015, 4 million more than two years earlier.

Overseas investors in #Pakistan find 94% reduction in #crime. #Lahore 94%, #Karachi 92% reduction.

https://tribune.com.pk/story/1460324/overseas-investors-find-94-red...

Overseas investors in Pakistan have observed up to 94% decline in different crimes all over the country in 2017, according to the annual survey conducted by Overseas Investors Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OICCI).

Respondents of the OICCI security survey 2017 experienced a drop in the overall street crimes with a 69% reduction in minor crimes (like mobile and cash snatching) and 90% decrease in major street crimes (like car snatching).

In terms of serious crimes like abductions/hostage taking and extortion (bhatta) – respondents across Pakistan reported major reductions as compared to 2016, ranging from 94% decrease in Lahore, closely followed by the rest of Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (93%) and Karachi (92%).

Security survey 2017 is conducted in June and highlights a positive movement in the OICCI members’ perception of the country’s security environment. This comprehensive security survey has been conducted every year since 2015. It reflects the foreign investors’ perception on the improving security environment in the country especially after the launch of 2013 Karachi operations.

OICCI members have reported significant improvement in confidence and comfort of their staff on security matters, which went up further after the 86% increase reported in the previous survey, as the staffs now feel even more comfortable in their everyday commute to/from the workplace.

More significantly, a noteworthy feedback from the latest OICCI security survey is that a higher number of expatriate business visitors have travelled to Pakistan in the past one year and most of the business related meetings are now being held within Pakistan. Prior to August 2013 these were conducted in other countries due to security concerns.

This is a strong indicator that Pakistan as a destination has improved on the security concerns map and that such foreign businessmen are being granted travel permissions for their visit to Pakistan from their respective embassies and travel security agencies.

An overwhelming 62% respondents reported substantial increase in the number of overseas visitors to Pakistan as compared to last year. The highest number of OICCI members’ foreign visitors was from European countries followed closely by visitors from Middle East, China, Singapore, USA and Japan.

The 2017 survey once again re-affirms that threats and security concerns have substantially reduced in Pakistan for all key stakeholders of businesses including OICCI members.

“The security environment has substantially improved not only for the survey participants, meaning foreign investors, but also for their customers, suppliers and employees,” said OICCI President Khalid Mansoor.

The 2017 OICCI security survey result mirrors the improved security environment all over Pakistan, especially in Karachi in comparison to the last year and greatly enhanced since the time prior to August 2013.

A significant majority of the respondents were confident that the general threats to business had reduced compared to last year and a look at the last survey in June 2016 echoed the improvement nation-wide with Karachi’s security situation being given the thumbs up by 89%, closely followed by Lahore and the rest of Punjab with 85% and 82%.

New Aviation Solutions Organization Launched In Pakistan

https://www.researchsnipers.com/new-aviation-solutions-organization...

Integrated Aviation Solutions (IAS) Pakistan was launched in Pakistan Yesterday, IAS will be working as a strategic partner of IGR International Aircraft Sales LLC, the partnership will focus on the regions Asia, Middle East and Africa.

Lahore Airport Will Be The Largest In Pakistan After Chinese Company Reconstruct it

IAS will help in regulating aviation industry in Pakistan, IAS would also polish the talented individuals and professionals for the aviation industry. Pakistan has a large number of talented youth ready to serve as best professionals in the industry meeting the higher international standards, said CEO Syed Hamid Ali, while addressing the ceremony in a hotel in Islamabad.

“On its own initiative IAS has established a unique professional institution in Pakistan, responsible for providing technical and vocational training and education in aviation”, With all these efforts Pakistani aviation professionals would be able to play an important role in the International aviation industry, said Ali. According to him, IAS would also serve as a consultant to Kamra Aeronautical Complex (KMC) for capitalizing and expanding their commercial aspects, he added.

Ali also briefed about future plans of IAS, he said, “IAS has already planned to start its operations at the New Islamabad International Airport, the role of IAS would be to help regulate airlines in training and maintenance of their entire operations.

Hoping for the favorable outcomes of gigantic CPEC project, he also expressed his views about the promotion and growth of aviation industry due to the project. He said Pakistan should be prepared for the commercial opportunities associated with the CPEC project in the aviation industry.

How many flights per day in Pakistan?

https://www.quora.com/How-many-flights-per-day-in-Pakistan

Tom Quetchenbach, occasional flyer
Answered Jun 4
To get a very rough idea, we can look at some data from the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority for 2015–2016. According to this data set, there were 157,214 aircraft movements (takeoffs or landings) at Pakistan’s larger airports in 2015–2016, of which 71,227 were domestic and 85,987 were international. That’s an average of about 431 aircraft movements per day. Assuming that this is double-counting at least most the domestic flights, because what goes up must come down (that is, each domestic flight consists of two aircraft movements in Pakistan—a takeoff and a landing), dividing the domestic aircraft movements by 2 gives 98 domestic and 236 international flights per day on average.

But that is certainly an underestimate, because it doesn’t account for flights to, from, or between smaller airports, military flights, etc. It’s also not clear to me whether this includes flights by smaller, unscheduled carriers and aircraft operators other than passenger or cargo airlines.

New Islamabad Airport to open by December 2017

http://pakobserver.net/new-islamabad-airport-open-december/

New Islamabad International Airport would be opened for traffic by the end of current year, Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Sheikh Aftab Ahmed told National Assembly on Thursday. Answering the question of Ms Khalida Mansoor, he said the main features of airside infrastructure includes main and emergency runways, taxiways and apron for parking of 28 aircraft, including 15 passenger boarding bridges, cargo apron for parking of 3 aircraft, state apron for parking of 2 aircraft and aircraft maintenance apron.
He said the airport has numerous allied facilities including Airfield Lighting System, Navigational Aids, Hydrant Refuelinc System, Air Traffic Control & Fire Crash Resale buildings, Radio & Radar building, Water Works, Sewerage Treatment Plant and a Cargo Complex.
Likewise, the Passenger Terminal Building has a capacity to handle 9 million passenger per annum and includes systems for baggage handling flight information & display, elevators, escalators, travelators, fire alarm and fire protection system, heating ventilation & air conditioning system, data centers, communication systems, PABX, wireless LAN and many other systems essential for modem day airport operations.
The new Islamabad International Airport would be able to handle all modern commercial aircraft including Airbus 319, 320, 321, 330, 340, 350, 380 and Boeing 737, 747, 757, 767, 777, 787 etc, he added.

#Tourism thrives in #Pakistan as number of foreign tourists triples and domestic tourism up 30% since 2013. #travel

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-09-27/as-terror-attack...

As security improves, annual tourist arrivals to Pakistan has more than tripled since 2013 to 1.75 million last year, while domestic travelers rose 30 percent to 38.3 million, according to the state-owned Pakistan Tourism Development Corp. Over the same period, foreign tourist arrivals in the country’s larger neighbor, India, jumped from 6.97 million in 2013 to 8.8 million in 2016, government figures show.

The World Travel and Tourism Council puts the total contribution of tourism to Pakistan’s economy at $19.4 billion last year or 6.9 percent of gross domestic product. In a decade, the WTTC expects that to rise to $36.1 billion.

Still, security challenges remain. While casualties from attacks fell 43 percent last year, major cities, such as Lahore, are occasionally hit by bombings.

Jonny Bealby, the managing director of Wild Frontiers Adventure Travel Ltd., a London-based operator that has run trips to Pakistan for two decades, said his tours to the South Asian nation are up 60 percent from last year.

Along with security, Bealby said the main improvement in Pakistan has been infrastructure. “The roads have improved immeasurably reducing journey times.’’



---------

Annual tourist arrivals have more than tripled since 2013

Military campaign has boosted safety, infrastructure improved

After a bone-jarring mountain journey, Alan Cameron surveys the snow-capped peaks of Pakistan’s north near the Saiful Maluk lake. “It’s beautiful -- well worth the effort,” said the 34-year-old Canadian holidaying in a country better known for terrorism than tourism.

Taking a break from his job as an analyst at Jefferies in London, Cameron’s vacation last month underscores the rekindling of Pakistan’s tourism industry after a sustained military security crack-down, with annual arrivals more than tripling since 2013.

Keen to shed the image that it’s unsafe for visitors, Pakistan has begun a nascent tourism drive and this summer placed adverts across the sides of London’s iconic red buses. Road infrastructure has also been boosted across key holiday regions.

Since the 2014 massacre of more than 100 children at a military school, the army has neutered some insurgent groups and political militias. Tourists are now returning to areas such as the Swat Valley, a northern region known as the Switzerland of Pakistan that was controlled by the Taliban between 2007 and 2009 and where Nobel prize winner Malala Yousafzai was shot in 2012.

#Lahore based #Pakistani #American founder of #AI #unicorn Afiniti takes investors helicopter skiing in #Pakistan. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-10-02/tycoon-takes-inv...

AI firm Afiniti employs three-quarter of employees in Pakistan
Company may list next year with more than $2 billion valuation
In the northern snow-capped peaks of Pakistan, Zia Chishti disembarked off a helicopter and skied downhill on a mission to convince investors, clients and company executives that the nation once called by The Economist “the world’s most dangerous place” is now safe for business.

Chishti, who grew up in Lahore, gathered a group from more than a dozen countries including Alessandro Benetton, a heir to the billionaire family that owns the iconic namesake Italian clothing company, and Huawei Technologies Co. rotating Chief Executive Officer Guo Ping earlier this year to Pakistan, the back-end base for some of his businesses. Last month, his artificial intelligence company signed a deal with Huawei, which will help its push into Eastern markets including China, Japan and Australia.

For Chishti, ensuring his clients understand that Pakistan, which has struggled against internal militant groups, has changed since The Economist report a decade ago is critical because many of his employees who provide customer solutions, sales support and marketing to clients including Sprint Corp. and Caesars Entertainment Corp. are based in the South Asian nation. Chishti has added more people in Pakistan, a move that will also help him keep costs under control as his AI unit prepares for an initial public offering in the U.S.

“Pakistan by any reasonable and adaptive measure is an extremely safe place to do business,” said Chishti, whose office oversees the White House, said in an interview by phone. “All in all it’s a very favorable place to do business and the world perception just has to catch up.”

Despite a widespread negative perception over the country’s security record, multiple military operations have curbed domestic insurgents after a Pakistani Taliban massacre at a school three years ago shocked the nation. Last year, civilian deaths from terrorism dropped to the lowest in more than a decade.

The army’s drive has boosted the confidence of companies, including TRG, and foreign investment is up 155 percent to $457 million in the first two months of the business year started July. Chishti’s company has moved into a larger building this year that will fit 3,000 staff in the previously tumultuous port city of Karachi, which has been secured by paramilitary forces against gangsters, militants and political militias since 2013. 

Air #China increases flights for #Pakistan to 7 per week - Samaa TV #CPEC

https://www.samaa.tv/economy/2017/10/air-china-increases-flights-pa...

Air China, China’s national flag carrier, has decided to increase flights on the Beijing-Islamabad-Karachi route from four to seven a week starting October 29.

Air China had launched the route between China and Pakistan in October 2016, starting with three flights per week. More than 120,000 trips on the route were recorded till September this year.

Hu Haitao, manager of Air China’s Islamabad office, said in a promotional event that the increased flights will “better serve the exchanges between China and Pakistan in trade and culture.”

Meanwhile, Zhao Lijian, ministerial counsellor of the Chinese Embassy in Islamabad, said that the development of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has boosted the two countries’ ties in politics, economy and science, providing a good opportunity for Air China to extend its business in Pakistan. – APP

Avari group launches hotel in Multan

https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/235983-Avari-group-launches-hotel-...

China would not let anyone dismember Pakistan or harm its territory because it was investing $ 46 billion in it for its survival, a leading businessman said on Tuesday. 

“China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) would be a game changer for Pakistan which would bring prosperity, development and employment for thousands of people,” Byram Dinshawji Avari, chairman Avari Group of Companies told a press conference after the inauguration of Avari Xpress Boutique in Multan. 

“I prefer to invest Pakistan and that’s why I am launching hotels of world-class in Multan, Sargodha, Faisalabad, Islamabad, and other cities. All Pakistanis should invest in Pakistan and they should not look to other countries.” 

Avari said he did not agree with those economists who were expressing their reservations on Chinese investment. “China would neither prove to be an East India Company nor capture our country,” he said. 

He added that Gwadar port would help boost international trade with China and central Asian states.  “When a motorway can help boost country's economy, business, and 
prosperity, then why China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, a major project of Rs4600 billion will not prove to be a game-changer,” Avari asserted. 

He said that investors should come forward to raise the graph of Pakistan in economy.  Speaking on the occasion, the former Punajb minister Jalaluddin Roomi hoped that trade and economic activities would increase with the establishment of hotels of international repute in Multan. “A special economic zone should be developed in Multan under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project,” Roomi demanded.

TRAVEL & TOURISM
ECONOMIC IMPACT 2017
PAKISTAN

World Travel and Tourism Council WTTC

The direct contribution of Travel & Tourism to GDP was PKR793.0bn (USD7.6bn), 2.7% of total
The total contribution of Travel & Tourism to GDP was PKR2,033.5bn (USD19.4bn), 6.9% of GDP in 2016, and is
forecast to rise by 6.0% in 2017, and to rise by 5.8% pa to PKR3,793.0bn (USD36.1bn), 7.2% of GDP in 2027.
In 2016 Travel & Tourism directly supported 1,337,500 jobs (2.3% of total employment). This is expected to rise
by 2.3% in 2017 and rise by 2.5% pa to 1,757,000 jobs (2.3% of total employment) in 2027.
In 2016, the total contribution of Travel & Tourism to employment, including jobs indirectly supported by
Visitor exports generated PKR93.8bn (USD893.8mn), 3.6% of total exports in 2016. This is
Travel & Tourism investment in 2016 was PKR375.2bn, 9.3% of total investment (USD3.6bn). It should rise by
8.1% in 2017, and rise by 8.0% pa over the next ten years to PKR872.0bn (USD8.3bn) in 2027, 11.4% of total. 

https://www.wttc.org/-/media/files/reports/economic-impact-research...

This is all the more painful when there’s so much promise. Here, I would like to draw attention towards our failed tourism: an industry where we had so much potential to tap but it’s all a dream gone sour. Tourism industry has been awfully neglected since inception. The United Nations 70th General Assembly has designated 2017 as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development because tourism has boundless economic promise with it forecasted to contribute a massive US$ 11 Trillion to World GDP (11.4% of GDP). Even locally, the industry could make as much as Rs. 1 Trillion (US$ 10 Billion) by 2025, even with current infrastructure – and this is only a fraction of actual potential of our land that is so often termed as Switzerland of the East and a colloquial heaven on Earth.

Pakistan has so much to offer in terms of adventure, sports, spiritual, heritage and eco-tourism but the only things wrong with the industry are lack of infrastructure and a very frightening security landscape that haunt locals and expats alike. If we were to put these things right, the tourism industry could very well be our economy’s liberator; creating jobs, narrowing balance of payments as well as boosting our sluggish GDP growth but guess what: ride North and the indifference of government will be so absolutely evident.

Take an excursion to the captivating Saif-ul-Mulook and you will re-discover the meanings of un-metalled road. In fact, there is no road to the lake although this is probably the most frequently visited lake in the country – the approach up the hill is one where the jeep plod on rocks and stones with not even a centimeter-deep mud, gravel or metal to support the tyres. The journey to this Northern haven is an agonizing one.

Unfortunately, the story does not end there, the lake is gradually becoming full of junk and trash; not just because tourists are to blame but mainly because you would find no bins there and then, there’s another catch if you still want to like the place; there are no washrooms there: all I could find was a tent wherein the smell was so much more repugnant than an inflated bladder.

And the woes continue; the place is only open till dusk after which, if you are to believe the locals, you could be quizzed and even detained by police for staying late or camping there. It is almost a crime to sit down there across the lake to witness the reflections of a moon-lit night. And of-course, there is no electricity, access to telephone or cellular signals, a police post or a PTDC desk; there is not even an information-board there – it is all complete wilderness!

Add to it the fact that the nearest hospital from the lake is 100 kilometers or over 3 hours away, all the way down to Balakot. This, coupled with the dismal security situation, which is compounded by absence of any security posts at major tourist destinations (except for one in central Naran) can make the trip, a scary one, if things were to go awry.

And this is not ranting: when you fail to bring infrastructure in the 21st century to a place as celebrated and as captivating as the Saif-ul-Mulook, you lose a plethora of would-be international tourists who would be raring to witness these spectacular sights and the sites beyond this; as this lake also acts as a base-camp for tracks to breathtaking Aansoo Lake and mystical Malka-e-Parbat.

Times have changed. No one tours a place any longer because it’s famed to be a home to fairies or other exaggerations like the lake’s depth being unmeasurable or the adjoining peak being unsurmounted to date; something that the locals insist but nothing can be farther from the truth. All the local breadwinners (drivers, cooks and shopkeepers) complained about the lack of infrastructure there and how much even something as little as a two-lane road could better theirs as well as the country’s economy.

http://blogs.dunyanews.tv/18115/pakistans-conundrum-missed-tourism-... 

India is the world’s 7th largest tourism economy in terms of GDP, says WTTC India’s Travel & Tourism sector ranks 7th in the world in terms of its total contribution to the country’s GDP, shows a new report by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC). According to the new data, Travel & Tourism generated INR14.1 trillion (USD208.9 billion) in 2016, which is the world’s 7th largest in terms of absolute size, the sum is equivalent to 9.6% of India’s GDP. Additionally, the sector supported 40.3 million jobs in 2016, which ranks India 2nd in the world in terms of total employment supported by Travel & Tourism. The sector accounts for 9.3% of the country’s total jobs. India’s Travel & Tourism sector was also the fastest growing amongst the G20 countries, growing by 8.5% in 2016. A further 6.7% growth is forecast for 2017. India’s strong Travel & Tourism figures are predominantly generated by domestic travel, which accounts for 88% of the sector’s contribution to GDP in 2016. Visitor exports, money spent by foreign travellers in India, only represents 12% of tourism revenues and in 2016 totalled INR1.5 trillion (USD22.8bn). This is 5.4% of the country’s total exports, compared to a global average of 6.6%. Data from the UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) shows that India received only 9 million international arrivals in 2016, placing it 40th in the world, and a tenth of those received by top-ranking France. However, there is a lot of potential for India to grow their visitor exports. Over the past few months India has already starting to address this gap and made significant changes to visa facilitation, which will help to boost international arrivals. WTTC data suggests that visitor exports will grow by 5.4% in 2017.

Read more at: https://www.wttc.org/media-centre/press-releases/press-releases/201...
Copyright @ WTTC 2017

Swiss tourist couple badly injured in youth assault at #Agra #India. #Tourism #TajMahal

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/06/world/asia/taj-mahal-assault-tou...

Youths would later tell the police that the couple, both 24, had offended them by ignoring their greetings and kissing in front of them. Not so, Ms. Droz told The Times of India. They were trying to force her to take selfies with them, Mr. Clerc added. Eventually, they began beating the couple with sticks and rocks.

By the time a crowd had gathered and the youths had run away, he had a fractured skull and possibly permanent hearing damage and she had a fractured left arm. “The blood was flowing,” said Ram Kishor, a police constable in the area.

The assault late last month made headlines for several days in India. It was a fresh setback for tourism in this part of the country, which is home to some of the world’s most famous monuments but finds its status threatened by disputes about its Muslim heritage, amid reports of declining visitor numbers and of harassment of tourists.

Stops at Fatehpur Sikri and in the nearby city of Agra to see the Taj Mahal, all of which are in Uttar Pradesh State, are at the top of many itineraries for tourists in India. Built in the 17th century by the Muslim emperor Shah Jahan as a tomb for his wife, Mumtaz Mahal, the Taj Mahal attracts millions of visitors every year. Tour operators call it India’s monument to eternal love.

But Hindu nationalists, some of them aligned with the governing Bharatiya Janata Party, have taken aim at the Taj Mahal and its ties to a Muslim ruler.

During a trip to Agra in June, Yogi Adityanath, the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, said at a rally that small replicas of the monument given to foreign dignitaries “did not reflect Indian culture.” Other far-right leaders went further, describing it as having been built by “traitors” who “wanted to wipe out Hindus.”

But Mr. Adityanath seems to be softening his stance, at least in public. When he visited Agra in late October, he called the Taj Mahal a “unique gem.” A tourism brochure published by the state government that initially omitted the Taj Mahal has been updated to include it.

Tour guides said the controversy had hurt their business.

--------


On a recent day, a throng of tourists formed a line at the mouth of the Taj Mahal complex, pressing their bodies forward. Among them was Vital Labonte, 66, a French Canadian visitor in hiking boots, who said the occasional jostle or appeal for money did not bother him.

“The kids run at you, they want money to better their life,” he said. “Just say no. I’m not worried with it.”

Viktoria Simeoni, 23, an Austrian visitor who had booked a trip to India on a whim, said she sometimes felt unsafe when men stared at her or asked for pictures, a request often made to foreign tourists in India.

“One lady gave me her baby,” she said. “I was just holding the baby, and then she took pictures of me. I didn’t feel so comfortable.”

The police found it necessary to crack down. In the days after the attack, they arrested over 50 people they accused of being touts with reputations for hounding tourists.

In Fatehpur Sikri, officials emphasized that the severity of the attack against the Swiss couple was rare. The crime that tourists report most often is theft.

Aviation Industry in Pakistan shows great potential for growth
Updated about Dec 17, 2017

http://www.onlinenews.com.pk/index.php?page=newsdetail&news_id=...

The Aviation Industry in Pakistan has shown great potential for growth and aviation traffic has been increased over 10 percent in last few years inside the country but Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has been facing financial losses due to bad mismanagement and lack of proper interest by the government.

According to aviation sources, even International Air Transport Association (IATA) which represents major industry airlines across the globe has also recognized the progress in this field and observed that Pakistan is amongst high growth aviation markets.

In the recent years, many airlines have increased in the frequency of operations of their airlines in Pakistan. The airlines from Bahrain, Malaysia, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Turkey, UAE and some other countries are operating to Pakistan and getting enough business.

This increasing trend of foreign airlines has been adding economic growth in Pakistan and also creating job opportunities in the country. The government while considering the growth potential in the aviation industry has taken a number of steps to cater more business from international airlines.

Besides takings measures for creating balance in Pakistani and foreign airlines, the government has liberalized the policy of aviation through initiating confidence building measures for foreign carriers with appropriate expansion and up-gradation of the aviation infrastructure.

A spokesman for aviation department said the government has taken measures to improve the security system for domestic and international airports, radar systems have been improved and measures are under way for further improvement of radar and guidance system for all flights especially in foggy conditions at the airports.

For this purpose instant landing system at Allama Iqbal International Airport Lahore has been upgraded to ensure continuity of flight operatio even in case of bad weather. New International Airport of Islamabad, equipped with most modern and latest facilities, will be operational at the start of next year.

A number of development projects are underway at Peshawar, Gwadar and Quetta for the improvement of the airports in these areas.

On the other and PIA, the national carrier, is facing huge financial losses due to bad management and bureaucratic attitude of the staff and lack of interest being taken by the government.

The business and revenue of the PIA is decreasing but the airline owned by Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi is making profit. Many routes of PIA are being closed but private airlines are opening new routes and making profit.

The financial loss of PIA in early 2017 was Rs. 45 billion which was 30 percent more as compared to last year losses. Although the PIA has 36 aircrafts and it has been acquiring more aircrafts on dry lease. As the PIA is national carrier, therefore, the government is taking care of its losses and injecting financial assistance from time to time to continue the operation of this airline.

THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE > PAKISTAN
Pakistan identified as top travel destination

https://tribune.com.pk/story/1596763/9-pakistan-identified-top-trav...

The British Backpacker Society has identified Pakistan as it’s top travel desitination due to it being “one of the friendliest countries on earth, with mountain scenery that is beyond anyone’s wildest imagination”.

“Pakistan is the clear winner of the British Backpacker Society’s top 20 adventure travel destinations 2018 and we encourage keen travellers to book a trip now” the backpackers, who have explored over 101 countries, shared on social media. Other top destinations included Russia, India, Turkey, Kyrgyzstan and China.

Gulf News has carried the comments of two members of the BBS on Pakistan. Samuel Joynson and Adam Sloper said that Pakistan had a lot to offer travellers.

“Pakistan is one of the friendliest countries on earth. So, prepare to be invited into people’s homes, take more selfies than you can count, and have every preconception that you ever held about this area of the world changed forever,” Samuel said.

The pair visited Pakistan in 2016, and traveled from Lahore to Gilgit-Baltistan via the Kaghan valley. They ended their trip in the Hunza Valley and climbed the Hon Pass near Karimabad.

“We chose to climb the Hon Pass as Eric Shipton, one of Britain’s most famous mountaineers, described the view from the pass as ‘the ultimate manifestation of mountain grandeur’, and we wanted to follow in his footsteps and experience this spectacle,” Samuel recalled. “The view from the Hon Pass was indeed the greatest natural sight that either of us has ever seen, and we would recommend it to anyone with a keen interest in mountaineering.”

Samuel also shared a travel tip: “Head north to the astonishing peaks of the Karakoram along the unforgettable Karakoram Highway. It is beautiful, exciting and culturally interesting, and travellers are rewarded at the journey’s end-point with perhaps the most beautiful natural sight on earth, the Hunza Valley.”

British Backpacker Society is known for inspiring thousands of it’s online followers to visit less famous destinations in developing countries. Adam had a word of advice for international travelers concerned about their safety when visiting Pakistan:

“Our advice would be to put preconceptions on the security situation in Pakistan to one side, and conduct some independent research. You should certainly review travel advisories from respective governments, but also speak to local Pakistanis about the situation. We believe that travel is at its best when it changes a visitor’s preconceptions, and few experiences achieve this more than travelling in Pakistan” he implored.

Malam Jabba: Hub of tourism in Pakistan

https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2018/01/15/malam-jabba-hub-of-tour...

Known for its scenic beauty, Swat is also called the ‘Switzerland of Pakistan’. While the valley has nearly always remained a major tourist attraction, its local economy mainly depends on tourism.

Located about 300 kilometers from Islamabad and 42 km from Saidu Sharif, Malam Jabba is a complete adventure tourist destination, and perhaps the finest skiing resort in Pakistan.

Malam Jabba has two Buddhist stupas and six monasteries that are spread across the resort. The presence of the monuments at such a height clearly indicates that the area was settled over 2000 years ago. Malam Jabba also offers two exciting trekking trails that offer excellent scenery. The Shangla Top is a trek that is about 18 kilometers from the resort.

In the year 2005, the government started losing its control over the valley and later in 2007 it completely fell to non-state actors. While the government was able to reestablish its writ, no one believed that the charm Swat once had for tourists would ever get restored.

But today, with investors pouring money into the valley’s local tourism, it has once again become a major tourist attraction. While the Pearl Continental Hotel, Malam Jaba is starting its operations in July 2018, a major international skiing competition is also being held on Jan 17 at the Malam Jaba resort that has been rebuilt by the Samson’s Company.

It’s pertinent to mention here that militants had burnt down the PTDC motel – built with Australian collaboration, had destroyed the chairlift cable and an office of the meteorological department in Malam Jabba back in 2008.

Yaqoob, the ski resort’s manager told Pakistan Today that more than one-hundred-thousand tourists come to Malam Jaba every month during winters. Owing to it, the local business has improved, he added.

The manager at the resort further said that the event will not only project a better image of the country but will also help restore the faith of the international community in Pakistan being a safe destination for both the investors and tourists.

While the ongoing projects indicate that the valley is on the right track to development, the initiatives should be encouraged and supported by all stakeholders of the board as any controversy regarding any investment would roll back the efforts which the KP government has made till now, and will leave the people of Swat behind as those who will lose the most.

Where to go in 2018: an insiders’ guide

#Pakistan to have 5 new domestic/international #airlines soon to meet nation's #airtravel boom: Askari Air, Air Siyal, Go Green, Liberty Air and Afeef Zara Airways.

https://tribune.com.pk/story/1620663/2-open-skies-policy-five-new-a...

“Air traffic of the country has swelled 40% over the past five years to 20 million passengers,” Standard Chartered Pakistan Chief Executive Officer Shahzad Dada said at the recent launch of the Emirates Standard Chartered Credit Card.

The current rate of growth in Pakistan’s aviation industry is expected to be around 9% per annum which could continue till 2020, according to a forecast of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) – a trade body of world’s airlines.

“These numbers tell us the open skies policy has proved favourable for the country and its people,” remarked Muhammad Afsar Malik, former additional director of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), who was believed to have played a key role in framing the National Aviation Policy 2015.

Most of the upcoming carriers will target low-profit, far-off destinations like Gwadar, Turbat, Panjgur, Khuzdar, Dalbandin, Zhob, Rawalakot, Skardu, Chitral, Gilgit, Bannu, Parachinar and Muzaffarabad.

Of these, Gwadar, Gilgit-Baltistan and Turbat could generate immediate profits because of their tourism potential and work on China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects.

For these remote regions, the new carriers will bring airplanes suitable for small airports.

National flag carrier PIA has thus far taken advantage of these routes as it is the only player catering to air travel needs of these areas. PIA, which once helped Emirates airline of the UAE by giving two aircraft with crew, is now beset with financial trouble with losses going beyond Rs300 billion.

According to Malik, Pakistan’s domestic air traffic has grown 10%, which is six percentage points higher than the 4% expansion in international air traffic.

Although Pakistan’s market size is increasing, the share of domestic airlines is contracting. They carried 42% of the passengers in financial year 2016-17 as opposed to the 58% flown by international airlines.

“Airlines are in the race to attract customers through fare reduction; had the market not been free, the air ticket you got for Rs10,000 would have cost around Rs30,000,” said Malik. “Competition is good for public service.”

However, PIA does not seem to be buying the idea.

“Private airlines, especially foreign carriers, have mainly resorted to price cuts, instead of going more towards customer satisfaction in terms of comfort and improved services,” commented PIA spokesperson in an email response to a query.

Separately, a Shaheen Air spokesman said in an email “about every player in the aviation chain including airports, airplane manufacturers, jet engine makers, travel agents and service companies turn in healthy profits. Yet, it is one of the enduring ironies that companies that actually move passengers from one place to another, which are a crucial link in the chain, struggle to achieve break even.”

He suggested that the government should revisit its open skies policy as foreign carriers could enter Pakistan’s market without any restriction. “Authorities should devise a new concept called a fair skies policy whereby local carriers along with foreign ones have a fair share in the market,” he said.

The industry did not oppose market liberalisation, but it should be designed in such a way that industry players were not hurt as they were already operating at a low profit margin of less than 3%, he said. “The industry, including PIA, is producing a combined net loss annually.”

UAE’s Emirates and Etihad Airways as well as Qatar Airways among other Gulf carriers are giving a tough time to Pakistan’s domestic airlines, which believe it is hard to compete with these foreign carriers since they are state-funded or operated.

5 airlines to venture into Pakistan
Source: Xinhua| 2018-01-29 20:13:38|Editor: Lifang

http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2018-01/29/c_136934060.htm

ISLAMABAD, Jan. 29 (Xinhua) -- Five national and international airlines have applied for regular public transport airline license of Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to venture into the country's aviation industry, local reports said Monday.

The airlines are expected to get permission to carry out the flight operation in the country's skies during the next one year, which is likely to bring down passenger fares, local newspaper Express Tribune said.

Airlines including Askari Air, Air Siyal, Go Green, Liberty Air and Afeef Zara Airways have applied for the license to be a part of the aviation industry which is expected to be around 9 percent per annum and likely to keep the same pace till 2020, according to a forecast of the International Air Transport Association, a trade body of world's airlines.

Pakistan's air traffic has soared up to 40 percent over the past five years to 20 million passengers, and is continuously witnessing an upward trend due to improvement of law and order situation in the country, which is bringing in more tourists in the country.

The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has also resulted in the increase of air traffic in the country.

Most of the upcoming carriers will target low-profit, far-off destinations including Gwadar, Turbat, Panjgur, Khuzdar, Dalbandin, Zhob, in Balochistan province where CPEC projects are in full swing, and the tourist destinations of Rawalakot, Skardu, Chitral, Gilgit, Bannu and Parachinar.

The destinations could generate immediate profits because of their tourism potential and work on CPEC projects.

For these remote regions, the new carriers will bring airplanes suitable for small airports.

The entry of new airlines in the country's airspace is expected to further increase challenges of the country's national flag carrier Pakistan International Airlines, which was the sole operator in most of these routes in the past.

Opinion Pakistan
Air travel in Pakistan is a journey to the 1950s
Flying in the country is a pleasure compared with India, but there are downsides
KIRAN STACEY 

https://www.ft.com/content/6fc0dc08-3283-11e8-b5bf-23cb17fd1498


Flying in Pakistan is unlike anywhere else I have been — and the polar opposite to flying in India, where I live. Departing from any of the three major Pakistani cities is the closest a modern traveller is likely to get to experiencing what flying was like in the 1950s.

Checking in is effortless and there are no queues at security. At Islamabad airport, you do not even have to go to your gate: you can sit in the café until your flight is called and then leave via a downstairs door that takes you straight on to the tarmac and a waiting minibus.

Just hours earlier, I had suffered the regular indignity of catching a flight from Delhi airport. It took 20 minutes of disorganised queueing to check in, and another 30 to get through security. Getting on the aeroplane, as usual, reminded me of warfare at the Sino-Indian border, where troops are unarmed and so fight by jostling each other using only their torsos.



But while flying in Pakistan is a joy for those used to Indian airports, it is not necessarily a good sign for the country’s development in comparison with its larger neighbour.

The reason the experience is so civilised becomes clear to me when on board the small propeller aeroplane, where my colleague realises he knows the person next to him — a prominent environmental activist and the wife of a senior diplomat. Unlike in India, catching a flight in Pakistan remains the preserve of a small and wealthy elite. 

In 2016-17, 7.2m tickets were sold for domestic flights in Pakistan — equivalent to about 3 per cent of the population. In India, that figure was 108m, equivalent to 8 per cent of the population. According to Air Asia India, the low-cost carrier which is part of the group owned by the Malaysian entrepreneur Tony Fernandes, 26 per cent of their customers are first-time flyers.

Indians have better access to air travel in part because they are richer, but also because, for them, air travel is much cheaper. A highly competitive domestic aviation market means that a passenger looking to fly from Delhi to Mumbai on July 1 this year, for example, can pay as little as $35. In Pakistan, someone wanting to do the roughly equivalent trip from Islamabad to Karachi will probably have to fly with the government-controlled Pakistan International Airlines and pay at least $100 to do so.

While both countries allowed private airlines to set up from the early 1990s, companies have had a more difficult time in Pakistan.

“Since 2003, Indian low-cost carriers have genuinely democratised airline travel,” says Kapil Kaul, chief executive of the Centre for Asia-Pacific Aviation, an industry consultancy. 

“With close to 70 per cent market share, these companies have structurally changed aviation in India. Pakistan, on the other hand, is yet to realise the massive social and economic potential of bringing air travel to the masses.”


The rapid expansion in the number of Indians able to fly has caused difficulties for both the companies and the travellers themselves. Aviation executives say first-time flyers tend to treat air travel as they do bus travel, where timings are uncertain and passengers who do not board quickly can be left behind. Air Asia India is even making a video to try to educate new customers on the basics of air travel, such as how to clear security and when to turn up at the terminal.

As I stand to gather my belongings from the overhead bin and wait in an orderly queue to disembark at Islamabad, I am grateful not to have a fellow passenger pushing past me to get to the door more quickly.

But I also know that while this is good news for me and the 60 or so other people who have been able to afford this flight, it means that millions of others have been denied the opportunity.

#BritishAirways compete with #Virgin Atlantic for flights/passengers to/from #Pakistan. BA plans to add a 2nd route to Pakistan, 4 times a week from #London Heathrow to #Lahore as Virgin Atlantic starts service #Manchester-#Lahore. #tourism #economy #PTI https://ukaviation.news/ba-to-take-on-virgin-in-pakistan/

British Airways (BA/BAW) has announced that it plans to added a second route to Pakistan, from London Heathrow to Lahore.

The move comes just days after Virgin Atlantic announced that it was launching services to Islamabad and Lahore from London and Manchester.

The British Airways flight will operate 4 times-per-week using a Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

BA director of network and alliances, Neil Chernoff, said: ““Our new flights will give us the opportunity to open up more of Pakistan to travelers from the UK, so they can experience its delights and rich culture,”

Adding: “We also think this will be hugely popular with the British Pakistani community, giving them more convenient options to visit family and friends.”

The first flight will operate on 12th October, a month before Virgin’s operations begin.

#Pakistan's Lakson Group, Air Arabia to start a new low-cost #airline. Fly Jinnah will operate as a joint venture using low-cost model of Air Arabia. It'll promote travel & #tourism sector and contribute to the country’s #economic growth and #job creation. https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/pakistans-lakson-group-ai...

Pakistan's Lakson Group and Middle Eastern budget carrier Air Arabia (AIRA.DU) said on Friday they would launch a low-cost airline serving domestic and international routes from Pakistan.

The new carrier, Fly Jinnah, will operate as a joint venture between the pair, they said in a statement, adopting the low-cost model operated by Air Arabia.

The statement said the new airline would help Pakistan’s travel and tourism sector and contribute to the country’s economic growth and job creation.

Air Arabia operates from Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah in the United Arab Emirates, and has similar joint ventures in Abu Dhabi, Egypt, Morocco and Armenia. Its shares are listed on the Dubai Financial Market.

The airline has been pushing ahead to expand in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak last year as low-cost carriers bet on a post-pandemic surge in travel.

The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has performed a successful test flight at a Chinese-built runway in the mineral-rich region of Balochistan’s Saindak town, China Urdu reported.

https://tribune.com.pk/story/2320056/watch-pia-performs-successful-...


The development comes a day after Juzzak Airport in the Chagai district of Balochistan was made operational for flights to and from Karachi mainly for the Chinese engineers working on projects in the region.

Last month, the Parliamentary Committee on China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) was informed that the progress on New Gwadar International Airport (NGIA) was on track and it would be fully operational by September 2023.

In a meeting of the committee presided over by Sher Ali Arbab, the Aviation Division secretary told the panel that the project, which was originally expected to be completed by next year, has been postponed till October 2023.

The China Airport Construction Group informed the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) about the new time limit for the project, deferring the project funded by the Chinese company.

According to the document obtained by The Express Tribune, the passenger terminal building of the project will be completed by June 2023; work related to air traffic control will be completed by March 2023 while the overall construction of the airport will finish by October 2023.

Travel & Tourism
Development Index 2021
Rebuilding for a Sustainable
and Resilient Future
INSIGHT REPORT
MAY 2022


https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Travel_Tourism_Development_2021.pdf

As mentioned, Japan is the top performer in both
the APAC region and globally, with Australia (7th)
and Singapore (9th) ranking in the global top 10.
However, it is lower-middle-income economies such
as Viet Nam (+4.7%, 60th to 52nd), Indonesia
(+3.4%, 44th to 32nd) and Pakistan (+2.9%, 89th
to 83rd) that have improved their TTDI scores the
most since 2019. China, which ranks 12th on the
TTDI, has the region’s largest T&T economy, while
the Philippines, which depended the most on T&T
for its GDP in 2020, ranks 75th. Although Japan
and Singapore lead the ranking in the Eastern APAC
and South-East Asia subregions, respectively, India
(54th) is the top scorer in South Asia.

----------

https://tribune.com.pk/story/2358988/pakistan-up-six-notches-in-wor...

“Six points increase in the ranking of Pakistan on global travel and tourism index is quite a significant progress and now Pakistan is among the countries in the Asia Pacific Region that have improved its ranking the most since 2019,” PTDC Managing Director Aftabur Rehman Rana said.

He added that during the last two years, the federal and provincial governments had made significant progress in improving the performance of tourism sector in Pakistan by taking various steps to upgrade tourism services infrastructure, business environment, safety and security, health and hygiene, and socio-economic resilience.

“Although we have made good progress, we still need to do a lot more to further enhance the performance of tourism sector in Pakistan in coming years, which has huge potential to play a key role in the overall socio-economic development of Pakistan,” he added.

Overall, Japan has occupied the top spot on the latest edition of the index. Japan is followed by the USA, Spain, France, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Singapore and Italy which have been ranked in top 10 on the Travel and Tourism Development index, respectively.

Gwadar airport to be operational by December
$246 million greenfield Gwadar International Airport (NGIA) being built at an area of 4,300 acres

https://tribune.com.pk/story/2360858/gwadar-airport-to-be-operation...


QUETTA:
The test flight from new Gwadar International Airport would be started from December this year as the construction work on site has been expedited, an official of Gwadar Development Authority said on Thursday.

The new $246 million greenfield Gwadar International Airport (NGIA) being built at an area of 4,300 acres would be made operational before the deadline which was September 2023, the official said.

The government has also expanded the 50-bed Pak-China Friendship Hospital Gwadar to 150 beds state-of-the-art medical centre in order to ensure best health care facilities for the people of Gwadar.

The authority would ensure state-of-the-art free medical facility to the inhabitants of the port city of Gwadar from January next year, he said.

The officials were making all-out efforts to expedite the infrastructure and development projects for its timely completion.

The GDA said the authority has expedited the implementation of old town rehabilitation plan of Gawadar to provide best infrastructure and provide every facility to the masses of the port city. With the support of federal government, the project worth Rs3.3 billion for old town rehabilitation of Gwadar was in full swing to develop the city on modern lines to end the sense of deprivation among the people of the area, he addd.

The federal government would be funding 67 per cent of the total cost while Balochistan government would bear the remaining cost for the old town rehabilitation under the Gwadar development plan.

Under the plan, water drainage, supply and distribution of utility projects would be completed soon, besides ensuring the supply of clean drinking water to the dwellers.

The official said the water supply issue in Gwadar would be resolved in the short period of three months as desalination plant is also in progress to cater to the need of whole city.

The authorities have been directed to strictly adhere to Gwadar Master Plan while carrying out development and other public welfare projects in the city.

New Gwadar International Airport is a Class 4F airport. It is only the second greenfield airport in Pakistan.

https://youtu.be/6VBF1uIkDx8

The airport's 4C, 4D, 4E, 4F... are the flight zone levels, which are represented by numbers + letters. The number indicates the length of the runway, and "4" indicates 1800 meters or more. The letters indicate the wingspan and wheelbase of the aircraft that can take off and land, from A to F, the larger it becomes.


------------------

Karachi Airport Certified for Aircraft Operation up to Aerodrome Reference Code 4E

---------------------------

Islamabad Airport has been certified for aircraft operation up to aerodrome reference code 4F that allows Airbus A380 flight operations.


The purpose of this AIRAC AIP Supplement is to notify the aviation industry of the aeronautical
ground facilities, navigational equipment and services that are available at Islamabad Int’l airport for
aerodrome reference code 4F Cargo / Commercial Operations. The airport is located at a distance of
14.08NM from Islamabad city.


https://caapakistan.com.pk/Upload/AIS/AIRAC%20AIP%20Supplement%20S-06(18).pdf

Key Highlights 

A new runway at Faisalabad International Airport will be completed by October this year, enabling Boeing 777 aircraft to land, said Airport Manager Muhammad Anwar Zia.


Addressing Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FCCI) here on Thursday, he added that the air cargo complex was also under construction and 75% of the work was expected to be completed before the runway becomes operational.

Zia expressed satisfaction over the available passenger load and air cargo and said that 102 domestic and international flights were successfully operating from Faisalabad airport.

Zia expressed satisfaction over the available passenger load and air cargo and said that 102 domestic and international flights were successfully operating from Faisalabad airport.

He said the old runway could only accommodate small planes, which prompted authorities to construct a new runway for wide-bodied aircraft, in view of the projected increase of passengers and air cargo from the city and its catchment areas.

---------------

The new runway will be completed by October this year, enabling Boeing 777 to land at Faisalabad International Airport.

This was stated by airport manager Muhammad Anwar Zia at a meeting with FCCI officials on Thursday.

He said the air cargo complex was also under construction and 75 per cent of the work would be completed before the runway becomes operational.

He expressed satisfaction over the available passenger load and air cargo and said the airport was in a deficit of Rs220 million when he was posted here.

“It is now earning a profit of Rs2 billion,” he said and added that presently 102 domestic and international flights are operating from this airport facility in a month. He said that only small planes could land on the old runway, prompting authorities to construct a new runway.

He said a study was conducted to evaluate the passenger load before contacting international airlines. At that time the available passenger load was only 70,000 which jumped to 500,000 and is now expected to cross the mark of 800,000 within the next few years. He said that in a similar pattern, we must calculate the available tonnage of air cargo so that the airlines could be convinced to launch a dedicated air cargo service from this port.

He asked the FCCI to share data on air cargo so that a comprehensive study could be finalised. Four planes can be parked at a time and more facilities will also be arranged after calculating the passengers and air cargo shipments, he said.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1696356/faisalabad-airport-to-get-new-runway

Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE)
@PIDEpk
Hotel & restaurant industries of Pakistan seem to be in their incubation phase – with significant room for improvement, particularly if the country wishes to keep up with global trends. KB by
@AbbasMoosvi
&
@syedtalhaali922

https://twitter.com/PIDEpk/status/1554784076678176768?s=20&t=Xm...

--------------------

The tourism and hospitality industry has been rising in significance in Pakistan over the past few years, contributing 5.9% to national GDP and generating 3.8 million jobs in the year 2019. In terms of growth rates, this industry expanded by 3.5% in the same year, compared to the 2.5% expansion of the Pakistani economy as a whole.

Considering the general growth of the tourism and hospitality industry of Pakistan, the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics carried out a series of focus group discussions and collected data via questionnaires with key stakeholders in the restaurant and tourism sectors – two of the primary contributors to the hospitality and tourism industry – to ascertain salient bottlenecks in these markets and how they can be corrected.

1.Introduction and Overview

The tourism and hospitality industry constitutes a significant portion of global trade and investment. In 2019, it made up 10.4% of global GDP and supported 334 million jobs – amounting to approximately 1/10 of the international workforce.

During the 2014-2019 period, the industry was responsible for a whopping ¼ of all new jobs created – indicating a thriving demand for the service around the world. In terms of tourist expenditures, the majority – i.e. 71.7% – go to domestic services, signifying a general preference for local options.

In the Asia-Pacific region, of which Pakistan is a part, the GDP arising from tourism and hospitality stood at USD 3.061 trillion in the year 2019 – and generated approximately 185.1 million jobs. It was the highest performing region in terms of annual growth of the industry worldwide.

In the subsequent year, the tourism and hospitality industry took a significant hit around the world – leading to the loss of 62 million jobs, an aggregate decline of 18.5%. The brunt of the impact was absorbed by the SME sector, which constituted 80% of enterprises in the industry.

https://pide.org.pk/research/hotel-and-restaurant-industries-of-pak...

Pakistan plans to privatise its loss-making national carrier Pakistan International Airlines (PIAa.PSX), the government said on Monday, as the country also seeks to outsource its airport operations in line with an IMF deal.

https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/pakistan-privati...

The privatisation decision was taken at a meeting of the Cabinet Committee of Privatisation chaired by Finance Minister Ishaq Dar.

The committee "after deliberation decided to include Pakistan International Airlines Co. Ltd in the list of active privatisation projects of the ongoing privatisation programme, following an amendment in the law by the Parliament," a finance ministry statement said.

The committee also backed the hiring of a financial adviser to process the transaction of Roosevelt Hotel, New York, an asset of the PIAInvestment Limited, it added.

Pakistan hopes to resume PIA flights to Britain in the next three months after services were suspended following a fake pilot scandal.

The PIA flights to Europe and the UK have been suspended since 2020 after the European Union's Aviation Safety Agency revoked the national carrier's authorisation to fly to the bloc following the pilot licence scandal.

The privatisation of a state-owned enterprise, the PIA, which has accumulated hundreds of billions of rupee in losses and arrears, comes after Pakistan agreed to fiscal discipline plans with the International Monetary Fund.

Pakistan secured a $3 billion IMF bailout in June.

Reporting by Asif Shahzad in Islamabad and Baranjot Kaur in Bengaluru Editing by David Goodman, Mark Potter and Alistair Bell

Boost to tourism: First international flight lands at Skardu airport
In a touching gesture, the captain of the flight opened a window and proudly hoisted the national flag

https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/1100304-boost-to-tourism-first-int...


SKARDU: A historic moment unfolded at Skardu International Airport as flight PK 234 touched down, marking it the first-ever international flight to land on Skardu soil.

The arrival was celebrated with a heartwarming water cannon salute, painting the skies with a majestic display of water arcs.

In a touching gesture, the captain of the flight opened a window and proudly hoisted the national flag, symbolising the unity and pride of the nation. Traditional hats and thoughtful gifts were joyously distributed among the passengers aboard the inaugural flight, setting the tone for a remarkable journey.

While the initial tourist count was modest, with only 80 passengers on this milestone flight, officials from the national airline revealed that these travelers had embarked on a journey from Dubai to Skardu, making a connecting stop at Skardu. This strategic connection is expected to pave the way for an influx of tourists, injecting new life into the local tourism industry.

The residents of Skardu are excited at this as a momentous step towards boosting the region’s tourism. With Skardu being renowned for its breathtaking landscapes and rich cultural heritage, the commencement of international flights is anticipated to open doors to a world of opportunities.

The successful landing of the first international flight on the auspicious occasion of Independence Day has added an extra layer of jubilation to the festivities.