ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Railways (PR) has great potential to promote and develop tourism by attracting local and foreign tourists as there are various tourist and vintage sites alongside the rail track in Pakistan, WealthPK reported.
The PR had launched two tourist trains – Safari Tourist Train from Golra, Islamabad to Attock Khurd Railway Station for promoting the culture and beauty of the Potohar region. The other tourist train was launched by PR in Balochistan province, Quetta to Bostan and Quetta to Kolpur.
A senior railway official informed WealthPK that the railways will soon operationalize the tourist as well as passenger train after a decade’s halt, from Islamabad to Takht Bhai, for promoting the world heritage and Buddhist monastery sites. He said the main objective of the tourist train is to promote culture, civilization, and heritage of the country.
The official apprised that the work has been started on the railway track maintenance for which 50% funds will be provided by the federal government, and 50% by the provincial government.
The official said the Khyber Safari tourist train starting from Peshawar and ending at Landikotal in Khyber tribal district is also an important route for promoting tourism, and it will also serve as a gateway for Afghanistan and Central Asian countries. He said the Railway Department has contacted key officials of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government for the revival of this important rail route.
According to WealthPK research, Pakistan’s tourism industry has always had limitless untouched potential, but the greater part of the last decade was spent recognising this potential. In 2019, 5.9% of the country’s GDP (gross domestic product) was attributed to tourism, which helped in the creation of nearly four million jobs.
Lastly, according to World Travel and Tourism Council, nearly 6.2% of all the jobs within the country could be traced back to the travel and tourism sector. It created millions of jobs already and was projected to create millions more in the following years. It also contributed 10.3% to the global GDP. If one looks at a broader sense and observes global trends, tourism has been constantly outperforming the global economic growth. – INP