Despite an influx of foreign tourists, Pakistan failed to secure significant improvement in its rankings in the latest Travel and Tourism Index published by the World Economic Forum.
From the list of 119 countries, Pakistan disappointingly landed at 101 number. In Southeast Asia, Pakistan ranked slightly above Nepal and Bangladesh but far below India and Sri Lanka.
Nepal scored 105, Bangladesh 109 points, India 39 points, and Sri Lanka 76 points in the rankings. Travel and Tourism Development Index is a broader frame of the World Economic Forum that works with industry and government stakeholders to promote sustainable tourism for the countries.
Pakistan is categorized as a lower-middle-income economy. Middle Eastern countries, on the other hand, secured better rankings in the list. UAE topped the rankings at 18, followed by Saudi Arabia 41, Qatar 53, and Bahrain 18.
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Australia, Germany, China, Italy, the United Kingdom, and Switzerland secured the top 10 rankings.
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Leading countries in the rankings are being recognized for their favorable tourism policies, supportive business environment, well-developed tourism infrastructure, and rich natural, cultural, and non-leisure attractions.
However, as per the claims of the Government of Pakistan, Pakistan has jumped 20 points in the rankings since 2019. The Government of Pakistan takes this improvement in rankings as an achievement. Sharing the news on social media, GOP said: “In the 2024 Travel & Tourism Development Index by the World Economic Forum (WEF), Pakistan has made a notable improvement of 20 spots since 2019. The federal and provincial governments have made enormous efforts to upgrade the tourism infrastructure across the country.”
However, despite the low rankings, the Government of Pakistan has redirected its focus on developing the tourism sector of Pakistan in the past few years. While Pakistan needs to put in blood, sweat, and tears to encourage foreign tourists to visit Pakistan, local tourism is expanding each year exponentially. While this is a positive sign, it also heralds the need for working on building sustainable tourism in Pakistan.