Punjab, West (Pakistan)

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Tourism potential

The Punjab scene

By Shoaib Ahmed

Punjab gen II

Much is happening on the tourism front in Punjab. Along with foreign tourists, the province also plays host to a large number of visitors from India on occasions such as Basant and Sikh festivals.

According to the figures gathered from the tourism department, around 20,000 Indian tourists visited Punjab last year. The Evacuee Property Trust officials confirm the figures saying the above number of Sikhs visited Punjab due to the different agreements concluded between India and Pakistan. The tourism department is expecting around 40,000 Sikh tourists this year.

A large number of foreign businessmen and delegates visited the province last year. The Pirzadas, who hold World Performing Arts Festival in Lahore every year, informed this scribe that last year 800 delegates participated in the event. This year approximately 300 foreigners are expected to attend the Sufi Soul festival scheduled to be held in Lahore from April 12-16 and around 250 delegates are expected in the International Youth Festival, which is being organised in March. Faizan Pirzada said that since 1992, the first year of the festival up to 2007, 11,000 delegates have visited Lahore from 78 countries.

The Tourism Development Corporation (TDCP) has also initiated a number of tourism programmes to promote tourism in Punjab which includes religious, school, women and domestic tourism.

Under religious tourism, members of the Sikh community, who visit Punjab from India and other countries of the world, are taken to their sacred places by the tourism department. These places include Nankana Sahib, Sacha, Sauda, Gurdwara Rori Sahib and Chaki Sahib Eimenabad, Gurdwara Panja Sahib in Hassan Abdal, Dera Sahib, Samahdi of Mahraja Ranjeet Singh and Tomb of Guru Arjun Dev. The Besakhi and Janam Din are also two important occasions in which a large number of Sikhs visit Punjab. The religious tourism is gaining momentum and with different agreements being signed between the two countries, a large number of Sikhs now frequently visit Punjab.

Keeping in view the immense potential for international tourism, the department has now set up a new section named ‘Foreign Tourism’. Officials are being sent abroad to participate in international tourism fairs. The objective of this cell is to reach out to the foreign market for the promotion of tourism in Pakistan. They want to educate and inform foreign tourists about the historical, cultural and scenic treasures this part of world has to offer and to act as a bridge between the foreign tour operators, airlines, embassies and private tourism sector in Pakistan.

The tourism department through women tourism wants to facilitate women clubs, associations, NGOs, commercial and educational institutions. Special packages have been introduced for women, which include shopping of handicrafts and indigenous items, picnics and mystic tourism. The tourism department has specially designed these tours keeping in view the female clientele.

The initiative of school tourism was taken in August 2004, to promote outdoor education through tourism to broaden the vision of the youth. The good thing about school tourism is that the tours are cost-effective keeping in view the limited budget of students. The places in Punjab where tours are directed to are Tilla Jogian, Rohtas Fort, Mangla Dam, Kallar Kahar, Khewar Salt Mines, Islambad, Taxila, Harrapa, Hiran Minar, Changa Manga, Muree and Swat. This initiative has been taken in collaboration with the private sector. The tourism department has requested affluent individuals and organisations to sponsor at least one school.

The Hidden Treasures of Lahore is also an interesting package, under which TDCP takes people to different important but less known historical sites. These include Ali Mardan Khan’s tomb, General Allard’s tomb, Dai Anga’s mosque and tomb, Saru wala Maqbra, Wazir Khan’s Baradari and Dara Shikoh’s mosque.

The Cholistan Jeep Rally, in recent years, has emerged as an important tourist activity in Punjab. This rally was initiated to promote the south of Punjab as a tourist destination. The first rally in the sandy terrain of Cholistan was organised in March 2005 with the collaboration of the District Government of Bhawalpur.

Set in the backdrop of Darwar Fort, the rally attracts a large number of visitors from surrounding areas as well as other parts of the country. Cholistani music, fireworks and tent villages are the additional joys of the rally. A local festival is also organised during the rally season.

Due to the uncertainty surrounding the Basant festival, the tourism department is estimating a loss of huge foreign exchange, as a large number of foreign tourists visit Punjab during this time.