Foreign tourists' influx registers 70pc hike

ISLAMABAD: Inbound tourism in Pakistan has witnessed a marked increase of over 70 per cent during the year 2018 as compared to corresponding year, mainly due to multiple initiatives, specially improved security situation.

"The number of foreigners, who visited Pakistan in 2018 on tourist visa stands at 17,823, which was 10,476 in 2017," according the data shared by Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC). Overall, as many as 60,070 foreign travel enthusiasts visited tourist attractions in the country during the last six years, especially to the mesmerizing places located in the northern parts of the country.

The report's comparative analysis showed that the foreign visitors' inflow declined drastically in 2014 by over 47 per cent, compared to 2013 when 10,560 foreign tourists came to Pakistan for its multi-kind tourism including religious, adventure, cultural and others. Only 5,575 foreigners arrived Pakistan on tourist visa in 2014, it showed.

After the year of 2014, the foreign travelers influx witnessed gradual improvement due to the security operations to eliminate terrorism from the country. In 2015 and 2016, a slight increase was seen when foreign tourist count climbed to 6,475 and 9,161, respectively. However, the inbound tourism started recovering in 2017 as the numbers of foreign tourists returned to 2013's level with 10,476 tourist visiting Pakistan on visas.