The talk about marking the World Tourism Day today (September 27, 2008) is quite discouraging after the terror attack on the Marriott Hotel in which 52 precious lives were lost.
In spite of this discouragement, the travel industry in Pakistan cannot afford to shut up its shop of this promising industry which brought about 890,000 tourists and $276 million foreign exchange earning last year (2007). Moreover, travellers did not stop coming to London, Lisbon, or New York after terrorists struck these important cities. As they say, life must go on despite adversities.
In a similar way, tourism in Pakistan has to face challenges to do more in attracting tourists from abroad, despite adverse travel advisories, issued from time to time. The latest in the series was repeated last Saturday.
We think that there are great potential and increased opportunities in eco-tourism for the youth and senior citizens, a pattern which is quite noticeable in adjoining countries of India, Nepal, and Thailand and also on the rise in European countries. The great German scholar Annemarie Schimmel, who introduced Pakistan to the Europeans, wrote of our country as a land with thousand doors, each wonderful, and each different.
Recently, a husband and wife travel writer couple, Isobel and Ben Shaw, in a book describing trekking, wrote that they have never regretted coming many times to Pakistan, a country which offers to every visitor the joys of the unspoiled, unvisited remote areas. Isobel and Ben have concentrated on describing the wonderful northern region of Pakistan, which is great in the eyes of these two beholders.
However, we suggest that every part of Pakistan is beautiful and unique, and all parts of it must be seen by each of its citizen. The Youth Hostel Association in Pakistan, successor to the Indian Hotel Association, first established a Youth Hostel at Tera Devi, in Simla, in 1945. Pakistan received no share of this legacy. Yet the former vice-chancellor of Punjab University, the late U.
Kramat, established the first Youth Hostel in Pakistan at Taxila, in the belief that he would 'promote the education of young people of all nations, but especially young people of limited means, by encouraging in them love and care of the country side.' PHY succeeded in gaining affiliation of International Youth Hostels Federation in 1952.
In fulfilment of its noble aims, the PYHA has now established 18 youth hostels, across the country, at historical sites at Abbottabad, Ayubia (Khanaspur) Bhurban, Gilgit, Karachi, Lahore, Naran, Peshawar, Sharan, and Taxila. Each hostel is also equipped with a small library as well as first aid facilities. The important part is that students wishing to avail of the facility of youth hostels must carry permission either from parent or principal of schools/college, allowing them to travel outdoors.
The rates for the youth hostel per bed are much lower to facilities of a comparable small hotel outside, but the facility would be comparably better. PHYA undertakes to render this social service in the spirit of national integration and to promote people to contact and enable common people to appreciate the cultural values of towns and cities in all parts of the country.
PHYA has been pioneer in the development of youth hostelling movement with the result that we have members of over 40,000 citizens as Members, in addition to about 500 International Members About 150 Universities and Colleges across the country are also members of the PHYA and utilise the facilities of PHYA hostels in seeking outdoor accommodation for students and teachers.
We must of course try to attract seeking foreign tourists. Yet it would be axiomatic for us to remember that foreign tourists cannot be attracted in a country without the development, infrastructure and wherewithal of domestic tourism.
While we may go on with efforts to attract foreign tourists we must particularly keep an eye on promoting domestic tourism, particularly by encouraging youths and students to appreciate the immense beauty of their motherland and travel across the country and improve world view in so doing.