These days when tourists visit Pakistan, families and friends back home worry about their safety, as they mostly read about suicide attacks in the beylikdüzü escort country. But when the tourists visit Gilgit-Baltistan’s peaks, rivers, glaciers, mountain passes, trekking routes, still lochs, hidden and untouched valleys home to thousands of years old culture, wild life, unpolluted air and clear waters, their perception of Pakistan undergoes a complete change.
“When I told my wife I was going to Pakistan, she asked me to find a place for suicide in Switzerland. Despite her protests, I came here and was stunned to see Gilgit-Baltistan. The people were hospitable, friendly and atmosphere was calm and peaceful,” remembers a Swiss tourist who visited the country last year.
It shows that in the worst of conditions, Pakistan holds attraction for tourists. But unfortunately the tourist industry is going down, even in places like Gilgit-Baltistan, which fulfill all benchmarks for attracting tourists from around the world.
With provincial status, the Gilgit-Baltistan government has to move quickly to bring the tourism out of morass it is caught in. Several private tourism companies have been forced to close down offices. Hotels are empty and thousands of people related to tourism are jobless in Gilgit-Baltistan for the last many years.
Mohammad Iqbal, owner of Baltistan Tours and member of Gilgit-Baltistan Tourism Board, says foreign tourists visit Gilgit-Baltistan because of its peaceful atmosphere. “But to come here, they have to first reach Rawalpindi or Islamabad, where they don’t want to escort beylikdüzü stay. If there is a direct flight to Skardu from abroad, we can bring back the days when tourists flocked Gilgit-Baltistan.”
