So many locals will be losing out so much money. This will be a disaster for the local economy. A lot of people’s livelihoods have finished. I wonder if anyone has even bothered attempted to go there this year? I ownde rif this is more serious than the attempts for Shariah Law last year.
Re: End of Swat tourism?
Tourism in Swat has been dead for the last decade, seriously... There were occasional Pakistani tourists going to Swat 5-6 years ago but back in the 80s and early 90s we had a very flourishing tourism scene going on. We used to get so many foreigners back in those days who were interested in exploring the northern areas. It was amazing back then, you would goto stay at a small hotel at the most remotest place near places like Gilgit, but you'll still have clean bathrooms and hot water!
Re: End of Swat tourism?
spock dear..last year i went to swat..spent about two weeks there...there were many tourists in kalam...especially from faisalabad and lahore...and offcourse i cannot say abt 80 and 90s.....many of jeep drivers of swat r now working in naran kaghan areas..there is no doubt kalam is the most beautiful place on the face of this planet..so natural..so refreshing..
Re: End of Swat tourism?
Swat issue is resolved. Newly created Government stressed the need of dialogue, instead of using force. The dialogues are successful and government has accepted all the conditions of the terrorist group. Shariah will be implemented in 6 months period.
from 1998 to the eyar 2006 Kalam almost trippled in size and number of hotels. I dont know where you got your figures from spock but i can see the changes with my very own eyes. OIts not just Kalam but theres been increase in tourism over the last 10 years - not a decrease
joke bhaijaan, I live in a city very close to Kalaam (the largest stop over before anyone goes there) and its a well known fact that foreigners stopped going there after the early 90s. I dont blame them, because of what the image of the country turned out to be. Now as much as you wanna twist facts to somehow portray the Musharraf decade was good on tourism, its not, and neither was the Nawaz or Benazir regimes before him. I made a thread on this topic two years ago too:
http://www.paklinks.com/gs/pakistan-affairs/240200-tourism-pakistan-sad-decline.html
Re: End of Swat tourism?
I think international tourisim kept on declining after 1990 but the local tourism was growing till 2006.
Re: End of Swat tourism?
For a min, i thought the title read ‘End of Swat terrorism’ :hinna:
karachi? lol
beig serious - foreign tourists stopped going to swat when the hippy trail from europe came to an end and with the russian invasion of afghanistan and iranian revolution. The overland route was blocked so there was a shrp drop in tourists.
since then swat has never been a hit with foreign tourists. its nt because of terrorism alone its because theres far too many domestic tourists in swat and muree which foreigners find off putting. chitral, hunza and gilgit get the bulk of foreign tourists in the north. most other areas are avoided.
Re: End of Swat tourism?
thejoke, the tourists that used to come in from Europe, and North America didnt limit themselves to Swat, they would always start over in Karachi. The PTDC MD himself said that the dip started when the Karachi American consulate in the 90s was shut down regarding an unfortunate incident when some of their people there were killed.
thejoke, the tourists that used to come in from Europe, and North America didnt limit themselves to Swat, they would always start over in Karachi. The PTDC MD himself said that the dip started when the Karachi American consulate in the 90s was shut down regarding an unfortunate incident when some of their people there were killed.
Yes, there used to be many foriegn tourists in Karachi markets before 1990s. Once I happened to go to the Sands Pit back in 1983 on a working day and there were loads of "goras" over there.
I have never said they limited themselves to Swat but what Im saying is alot of the tourists who'd come were overland travellers who'd visit Swat. They would as a whoile come via Afghanistan.
Some travllers also come via China in the north-east, flight to karacchi then take it form there, overlands from iran to qetta, overland from india via wagah
Im not sure of tourism in Karachi and sindh but there has always been a problem there not just because of alleged terrorism but because of the ethnikc torubles in karachi and the dacoirty in sindh. I was in Pakistan recently and contacts of mine persuaded me not to go certain parts of sindh - which really upset me.
Swat lost popularity with foreigners when afghanistan was invaded.....what made it worse was the shariah movements...
foreign tourists are more content with the people of chitral and gilgit than the rest of pakistan.
thejoke, the tourists that used to come in from Europe, and North America didnt limit themselves to Swat, they would always start over in Karachi. The PTDC MD himself said that the dip started when the Karachi American consulate in the 90s was shut down regarding an unfortunate incident when some of their people there were killed.
Re: End of Swat tourism?
Pakistan in general has probably always under-utilized the tourist potential. Given the great mountains, weather and water bodies, it wouldn't take even 1.10th of the $ it takes other countries to develop a flourishing profitable industry which can be 10 times bigger than the neighbors.
Yet over almost 3 decades (may be more?) between the Kashmir related wars, the Afghanistan wars and the war on terror (and not mention the bi-annua;l military coups) the country is seen as totally unstable, unsafe and unnecessary.
The images of terrorism, islamic fundamentalism and anti-western hypocricy have effectively killed not only tourism but also technology outsourcing, bpo, R&D work etc coming in.
We are seeing the result - trade gap is widening (it is not just due to oil) and forex reserves are dwindling
Re: End of Swat tourism?
What kind of foreign tourists come to Pakistan? It has to be a different kind of a tourist, the average ones who choose vacation spots based on the night life, beer, women and fun activities probably don't choose Pakistan.
What kind of foreign tourists come to Pakistan? It has to be a different kind of a tourist, the average ones who choose vacation spots based on the night life, beer, women and fun activities probably don't choose Pakistan.
The ones who love nature, who love sight seeing, the ones who love hiking in good natural areas, mountaineering, not the one ones who love women/nudity-seeing/drinking etc.
What kind of foreign tourists come to Pakistan? It has to be a different kind of a tourist, the average ones who choose vacation spots based on the night life, beer, women and fun activities probably don't choose Pakistan.
You'd be surprised!!
You'd be surprised!!
Where are they coming from? I have a hard time believing that Pakistan is on anyone's list nowadays. Maybe a few adventurous types on the way to India or Nepal.
Re: End of Swat tourism?
Tourism may rhyme with terrorism but they do not go hand in hand.
Swat is in the grip of Maulvis and some of those Maulvis do carry AK-47. Then we have odd ball suicide bombers too.
However Swat and Northern Pakistan in general is heaven on earth. Therefore many local and international visitors do venture out and most of the time come home safe and sound.
Re: End of Swat tourism?
yeah but 'most of the time' is hardly encouraging.