Tourism is a growing industry in Pakistan and with more foreign investment and funding flowing in, including from Saudi Arabia, the country has been able to develop infrastructure.
It has now built major road and air networks to cater for the mass movement of cargo and inter-city travel. Roads are being developed by several consultants from the Northern Areas all the way down to the Port of Karachi.
Often described as the “next big thing” of the tourism industry, tourism in Pakistan, with its diverse culture, people and landscapes, attracted 1 million tourists last year, which is expected to grow further by the end of this year. The main destinations of choice for these tourists are the Khyber Pass, Peshawar, Karachi, Lahore, Swat and Rawalpindi.
In its bid to promote tourism in the recent past, Pakistan, which has unique and varied cultural heritage, launched a campaign in 2007 called “Visit Pakistan,” which involved various events throughout the year including fairs and religious festivals, regional sporting events, various arts and craft shows, folk festivals and several openings of historical museums. Consequently, the World Economic Forum’s Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report published in 2009 ranked Pakistan as one of the top 25 percent tourist destinations for its World Heritage sites.
Pakistan enjoys good tourism relations with Saudi Arabia and religious and cultural tourism form a major part of their cordial relation.
Enthusiasm is growing among the younger generation in Pakistan to perform Haj and Umrah, and according to a recent survey by a Pakistani media, every 10th person seen in Holy Ka’ba or Masjid-i-Nabvi in Madinah is a Pakistani. Urdu and Punjabi speakers wearing shalwar kameez or western suits can be seen all around.
Saudis too visit Pakistan in substantial numbers. The tourist’s attraction in the country ranges from the ruins of the historical sites of Harappan civilization mainly at its two megapolis Harappa and Mohenjo-daro and the site of one of the most ancient university in the world at Taxila, to the Himalayan hill stations, which attract those interested in winter sports.
Pakistan is also home to several mountain peaks towering over 7,000 meters, which attracts adventurers and mountaineers from around the world, especially K2, the second highest peak in the world after Mt. Everest.
The northern part of Pakistan has many old fortresses, ancient architecture and the Hunza and Chitral valley, home to small pre-Islamic Animist Kalasha community claiming to be descendants of Alexander the Great.
The romance of the historic Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province is timeless and legendry. Punjab province boasts of the site of Alexander’s battle on the Jhelum River and the historic city Lahore, Pakistan’s cultural capital, with many examples of Mughal art and architecture such as Badshahi Masjid, Shalimar Gardens, Tomb of Jahangir and the Lahore Fort.
The Saudi Government has provided extensive religious and educational aid to Pakistan, being a major contributor to the construction of mosques and madrassas (Islamic seminaries) across Pakistan, and one of the major tourist destination in Pakistan — the Faisal Mosque (dedicated to King Faisal) in Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, is the epitome of growing cultural ties between the Kingdom and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.
Responding to the rich support provided by the Kingdom, Pakistan renamed one of its major cities Lyallpur as Faisalabad in honor of King Faisal in 1977. Saudi Arabia was also a major supporter of the “Islamization” program of the Pakistani military ruler General Zia-ul-Haq in the 1970s.
Moreover, Saudi Arabia remains a major destination for immigration amongst Pakistanis, whose numbers in Saudi Arabia stands between 900,000 and 1 million.
Strengthening the cultural ties, Pakistan also conferred King Abdullah with their highest civilian decoration, Nishan-e-Pakistan, in 2006. President General Pervez Musharraf conferred the highest civilian award of the country in recognition of his outstanding contribution to development of greater understanding and co-operation between the two countries.
Recently a non-governmental organization was also launched to promote education, trade, investment and tourism between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia in Islamabad. Besides promoting economic and cultural ties with the Kingdom, the NGO will also facilitate the exchange of visits of educationists between the two countries.
The reason for Pakistan being a major tourist destination is because of the multiple attractions in the country. The diverse culture, traditions, historical places, beautiful valleys like Swat and Murree, a popular hill station and a summer resort for tourists are all factors behind Pakistan being an attractive tourist spot.
Historic places such as Mohenjo-Daro, Harappa and Taxila attract archaeologists from all over the world to come and visit the wonderful historic civilizations which are a part of Pakistan.
Other than these, the valleys of Pakistan have been able to attract tourists for a long period of time. These are Swat, Hunza , Naran, Kaghan and beautiful hills like Murree, Nathia Gali, and Changa Gali.
The major cities of Pakistan are not behind when it comes to attracting foreign tourists. All of them have different aspects which define Pakistani culture and traditions. Lahore is Pakistan’s second largest city and it is home to a large number of cultural places which has given it the title of being the cultural heart of the country.
The province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is known for its bountiful nature including valleys and plains. The Karakoram highway is also located in the vicinity of the province. Other cities like Karachi which is the largest city of Pakistan is the business center and commercial capital of the country. It is the city of Pakistan’s founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah and his mausoleum is an attractive tourist spot. It is known for its beautiful and luxurious hotels such as the Pearl Continental, Marriot and Sheraton.
The government of Pakistan is trying to attract more tourists to Pakistan by initiating the sponsorship of new businesses within the tourist market and building and maintaining road and air networks to meet international standards.
The vast human and natural resources can also contribute to the development of this growing industry as advertising campaigns need to attract tourist by developing holiday packages tailored to explore the great regions of the country.
Saudis help growth in Pak tourism
Saudis help growth in Pak tourism
Sudan’s army chief receives Saudi deputy foreign minister in Port Sudan
- During the meeting, Al-Khuraiji stressed the keenness of the Kingdom’s leadership on restoring security and stability in Sudan
RIYADH: Sudan’s army chief Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan received Saudi Arabia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Waleed Al-Khuraiji in Port Sudan on Tuesday.
During the meeting, Al-Khuraiji stressed the keenness of the Kingdom’s leadership on restoring security and stability in Sudan.
The minister’s visit to the country comes as part of the Kingdom’s ongoing efforts to address the crisis in Sudan, reach a ceasefire, and restore stability to the country.
The Kingdom continues to support the humanitarian response efforts to alleviate the suffering of the Sudanese people, Saudi Press Agency said.
Saudi pavilion at UNESCO Arab Week in Paris celebrates Kingdom’s camel culture
- It shows how the role of the camel evolved from essential means of transport and provider of resources to a cultural icon embodying the Kingdom’s values
PARIS: The Saudi pavilion at UNESCO’s Arab Week event in Paris this week featured a showcase of the Kingdom’s deep-rooted connection to camel culture.
It explored the role of the animals as a vital part of the nation’s heritage, identity and civilization, and offered a glimpse into their enduring place in society, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Tuesday.
The exhibits showed how the role of the camel has evolved from essential means of transport and provider of resources to a cultural icon that embodies the Kingdom’s values, and the ways in which camels are embedded in Saudi customs, traditions and literature, including poetry and proverbs.
The Saudi Ministry of Culture designated 2024 “The Year of the Camel” to highlight and reinforce the status of the animal as a national symbol and cornerstone of the Arabian cultural identity. Camels are regularly celebrated across the country through dedicated festivals, race events, clubs and research centers.
UNESCO’s Arab Week, which features 22 Arab nations, was initiated by Saudi Arabia. Guests at the official opening of the event on Monday included Saudi envoys, ambassadors representing other nations, Arab and other international diplomats stationed in France, and officials from UNESCO.
AI makes media industry more efficient and drives growth, expert says
- Martin Sorrell: ‘AI speeds up writing processes, increasing efficiency’
- New tech allows for increasingly personalized content
RIYADH: Artificial intelligence is being used more effectively and efficiently to drive higher economic development in the media industry, said Martin Sorrell, founder and executive chairman of S4 Capital.
At a panel session at the Athar Festival of Creativity Sorrell described how media agencies, such as S4 Capital and its subsidiary, Media.Monks, are using AI in a number of ways.
One application of AI in media, he said, is in “speeding the execution of copywriting and visualization.”
Time to market is drastically decreasing: “What took us literally days is now taking us three hours,” he said. Yet this produces another problem because reducing the time of procurement cuts costs, but this also means it is necessary to move to a model that increases gains in outputs,” he said.
Another application is in personalizing content for consumers. Sorrell told Arab News: “Individualization, hyper personalization, are going to become more important. Knowing the consumer in excruciating detail, using data, using the signals from the platforms, using first-party data, it becomes even more important.”
Using Netflix audience feedback algorithms as an example, Sorrell pointed out that AI enables these algorithms to produce larger and more accurate quantities of output, for example, recommendations based on user profile readings.
“We charge on a per asset used basis. Price of the asset may come down, but total revenue grows because we’re using multiple assets,” he said.
A growing area is in “media planning and buying.” Sophisticated algorithms can far more efficiently choose the distribution of planning and buying than individual media planners.
Technological capital and human capital, however, go hand in hand.
“We as agencies have to validate the algorithm’s analysis. We have to make sure that the client’s money is spent in the right way.”
Another benefit of AI is its ability to improve organizational efficiency. Where organizational silos once kept departments and specializations separate, AI opens up information to the majority of users.
To maintain the emotional connection and trust of the brand-consumer relationship in a technologically driven world, according to Sorrell, understanding individual motivation is increasingly crucial.
“Insights into culture, insights into language, into custom, into belief, into family, into country, that knowledge becomes critically important, far more so in a globalized world,” he said.
The diversity and knowledge of global and local organizations are essential for the success of any company, but the value of personalization means that local knowledge may take the lead, he added.
Quoting Harvard Business School professor Ted Levitt, Sorrell continued: “because remember, consumers will consume everything in the same way everywhere.”
Advising young professionals in tech, media and other industries operating in an AI-powered future, Sorrell said that rather than stripping away opportunities from creatives, avoiding the risk of “bombarding” consumers with much of the same, AI means “creativity becomes even more important.”
Additionally, creatives need to familiarize themselves with the skills and roles that are complementary to the new world: “I think every creative should learn Chinese. I think every creative should learn Spanish, probably Arabic too … and they should learn code.”
“The skills of the ‘Mad Men’, that Don Draper had or his colleagues … are very different to what you need now.”
Saudi Arabia has launched 22 new routes this year as part of tourism drive, ACP’s CEO says
- Kingdom has attracted 12 new airlines to date in 2024
LONDON: Saudi Arabia has launched 22 new routes from various destinations to the Kingdom this year, increasing tourist seating capacity by nearly 2 million, the CEO of the Air Connectivity Program has said.
Speaking at the Umrah+ Connect business-to-business event in London on Monday, Majid Khan said the Kingdom had attracted 12 new airlines to date in 2024.
Khan said: “There has been good expansion out of the UK. Virgin Atlantic is going to start daily flights from Heathrow to Riyadh in March; British Airways launched flights to Jeddah yesterday; Wizz Air will also be operating Gatwick to Jeddah flights daily.
“We are definitely focusing on our own carriers as well, because they are definitely our first priority; Flynas, flyadeal, Saudia, and Riyadh Air in the future.
“But we are also proactively working with international carriers in order to help us to get a higher share of inbound tourism to the Kingdom, as they have their sales and marketing channels in this part of the world.
“We know that the majority of BA travelers are not Saudis. They are actually travelers from the UK market, from their network in Europe and North America.”
Saudi Arabia has a strong, strategic location and travelers can reach more than half of the world within a six-hour flight, Khan said. He added that the ACP was working to deliver 150 million tourists to the Kingdom as part of Saudi Vision 2030.
He said: “Saudi Arabia is like one continent. We have 1,700 km of coastline, the new Maldives that’s actually the Red Sea, the two holiest sites for Muslims in the world, and mountainous regions.
“In the south we have Abha and Jazan, which I would personally call the Switzerland of Saudi Arabia. So it’s definitely an untouched wonder.”
An exhibition at the event highlighted new tourism developments in the Kingdom that British pilgrims can enjoy, including religious sites and activities that promote an understanding of Saudi cultural heritage.
Khan said the ACP was trying to revolutionize the way pilgrims travel, allowing them to holiday in the Kingdom after performing their religious rituals.
He said: “If we take the UK market, travelers typically have one Umrah ticket in their pocket to perform the minor pilgrimage with their family and friends. They then come back again to the UK, and have a separate ticket to either Dubai, Istanbul, or Malaga.
“This is something we would like to change. Travelers can perform Umrah, see the sacred places, and then save their tickets and continue to travel around the Kingdom. That’s the way we try to position Saudi Arabia.”
Rashid Mohammed, the organizer of Umrah+ Connect, said that Monday’s event had provided an opportunity for Umrah travel agents to network and grow their businesses.
Mohammed said: “We’ve brought you a diverse experience here in London, and it’s for you to use these tools, through connecting with people, to create packages that enhance and enrich pilgrim experiences.
“We’re also grateful for the support of the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, and the Umrah and Ziyarah Forum, who are here today and have really backed us to put on this show.”
Saudi minister receives German foreign ministry official
- Discussions focused on enhancing relations, regional and international developments and issues of common concern
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Deputy Minister for Political Affairs Saud Al-Sati received Gregory Bledjian, head of the Middle East division at the German Foreign Ministry, and several accompanying officials, in Riyadh on Tuesday.
During the meeting, they discussed ways to enhance relations, regional and international developments, and issues of common interest, the Foreign Ministry wrote on X.
Meanwhile, Shoura Council Speaker Dr. Abdullah bin Mohammed Al-Asheikh received Turkiye’s Ambassador to the Kingdom Emrullah Isler in Riyadh on Tuesday, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
