"Government must consolidate taxes into fewer ones to revive the tourism industry"

Human beings are restless creatures. They have been gifted with an inborn tendency to explore not only the highs and lows of this planet's terrain but have also ventured beyond skies to reach the stars.
A look at history reveals that this inquisitive nature has driven people to explore the highest mountain peaks and the deepest oceans, with large magnitudes of families and individuals moving across borders in search of adventures and new cultures. A vibrant tourism and attached industries like Hotel Industry have blossomed as a result.
Tourism incorporates traveling for mainly recreational purposes and the provision of services to support this leisure travel. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people who "travel to and stay in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes not related to the exercise of an activity remunerated from within the place visited".
Tourism is vital to the economies of many countries as it generates income through the consumption of goods and services by tourists, the taxes levied on businesses in the tourism industry and the employment created in the industries associated with tourism. Tourism has become a popular global leisure activity. In 2004, there were over $763 million international tourist arrivals globally. Today the total volume of tourism industry has peaked at $672 billion.
Based on its diverse cultures, peoples and landscapes, tourism in Pakistan promises great potential. The variety of attractions range from the ruins of ancient civilizations - such as Mohenjodaro, Harappa and Taxila- to the Himalayan hill stations and from the beaches of Karachi and Gwadar to the artistic buildings in Punjab reminiscent of the Mughal era. Pakistan is home to several mountain peaks over 7000m high, especially K2, attracting adventurers and mountaineers from around the world.
The northern parts of Pakistan take pride in the many old fortresses, towers and other architecture present there as well as the scenic Hunza and Chitral valleys- home to the small pre-Islamic Animist Kalasha community that claims descent from army of Alexander the Great.
Punjab is the site of Alexander's battle on Jhelum River. The historic city Lahore, Pakistan's cultural capital houses gems of Mughal architecture such as the Badshai Masjid, Shalimar Gardens, Toms of Jahangir and Lahore Fort.
To project the country's unique and diverse cultural heritage, the Prime Minister of Pakistan launched "Visit Pakistan 2007"- a high profile promotional campaign to attract domestic as well as international tourists.
The government plans and Pakistan landscape look fancy on papers. But there are some bitter realities hindering the tourism industry. The worse hit of a decline in the number of international tourists to Pakistan is private sector especially the hotel industry. They bear the burnt.
The chief executive of Pakistan largest hotels chain spoke to Business Recorder on how the industry copes with difficult situation.
Murtaza Hashwani, Chief Executive Officer of prestigious Hashoo Group- Hotel Devision, listed several areas where improvement is desperately needed to put tourism and hotel industry back on track. Hashoo Group runs a chain of five star hotels across Pakistan. With nine outlets and more than two thousands rooms in five-star category, Hashwani's insight on how to revive struggling industry does carry a lot of weight.
The blunt disclosure Murtaza made at the outset was that the tourism industry in Pakistan is heading no where. A sharp decline in the number of international tourists to the country is really a troublesome factor.
The worsening law and order situation in Pakistan of late is one and perhaps the only reason Hashwani believes can be held responsible for this.
Emerging religious extremism especially in the heart of the federal capital, Islamabad, and in tribal areas bordering Afghanistan in the west also does scare foreigners visit Pakistan.
"You see countries like United States issue advisories for their citizens not to visit Pakistan regularly," Murtaza argues that is what has hurt tourism in the part of world which can otherwise be a lovely destination for holiday makers.
He reminded the situation just over half a decade ago when a lot of Americans and Europeans used to travel on Karakurm Highway (KKH) to the northern areas of Pakistan including Kaghan and Hunza valleys.
But now these scenes are rare now. Foreign tourists to these valleys and other areas in restive North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) have dried. Murtaza thinks Pakistan government have not done enough to promote tourism except for a brief period when ousted Minister Ms. Nilofar Bukhtiar was at the helm of the affairs.
"Pakistan never had a viable tourism policy and the efforts our embassies, if any, have not borne fruit," he says.
The situation is grim but the way out for Hashwanis is simple....exactly what President General Pervez Musharraf has been emphasizing upon over the last few years, the promotion of Pakistan as an enlightened and moderate state to outside world. For this, the CEO thinks the government, the private sector and the media will have to play their respective role collectively.
On his part and on the part of the group he heads, Murtaza says, they have been promoting softer image of the country abroad through travel shows in United Kingdom, Germany, China and Japan with their own resources. Though focused on business primarily, these shows have done a lot to promote Pakistan as a modern state, he adds.
A true patriotic pitch suddenly converted into a business tone when Murtaza started talking about the industry he and his family is in... the hotel and allied industries.
He says the tourism industry is surviving on pilgrims, mostly Sikhs from India and Buddhists form Far East, who come to Pakistan for visiting their holy and historic places.
"They have to come like Muslims go to Makkah, doesn't matter what the situation is," Murtaza asserted. Also contributing to the survival of the industry are domestic tourists, mostly the business people.
Murtaza was not happy with the way hotel industry has been treated in the past. "Every time the response of the concerned departments has not been conducive to the initiatives taken by the group to further develop this sector and promote its interest to the outside world," he says.
One main problem, business tycoons like Murtaza are up against is "too much taxes" with "too little gain". The hotel industrialists, he says, want the government to consolidate these taxes into fewer ones and that also on rational grounds.
Though Murtaza appeared hopeful of revival of tourism industry in Pakistan, one wonders how it is possible when bombs are going off everywhere and hundreds of are innocents are losing their lives.
(An interview with Murtaza Hashwani, CEO Hashoo Group.)