The Future of Pakistani Tourism

Pakistan has many things to refer tourists. The PTDC has done a commendable job in publicizing Pakistan's attractions arranging inexpensive tours and trips to places of interest. The government is constructing new roads in the remoter areas and widening existing roads to make far flung places more accessible although landslides and flash floods continue to discourage less adventurous visitors. Despite these efforts, Pakistan's...

Northern Pakistan

Northern Pakistan presents a breathtaking sight for visitors. It is here that the mightiest mountain ranges in the world meet, the Himalayas, the Karakoram and the Hindu Kush. The second highest mountain peak in the world, K2 8611 meters, is located there. There are 36 peaks with heights of more than 7000 meters, including Nanga Parbat 8126 meters, Rkaposhi 7788 meters and Tirich mir 7690 meters.No part of the world, except for...

Major cities in Pakistan

Islamabad:Islamabad, Pakistan's Capital, is a new fully planned city located at the base of the Margalla Hills. It became the capital of the country in 1959. It is a picturesque place surrounded by hills and houses the Presidency, The Parliament and Faisal Masjid. The scenic Rawal Dam is located close by Islamabad is second to Karachi in attracting the most number of tourists.Karachi:Karachi is the birthplace of Quaid-e-Azam Muhamad...

Tourist Attractions in Pakistan

There are not many countries in the World that have such a vast selection of tourist attractions to offer as Pakistan does, from beaches to snow covered mountains, historical monuments, archaeological sites, traditional costumes and customs.Archaeological sites:There are many archaeological sites of great importance in Pakistan which date back to the Paleolithic and Neolithic periods. Of them, the twin cities of Mohenjo Daro and...

Transport in Pakistan

Pakistan is linked with the rest of the world by air, sea and land. There are three major international airports at Karachi, Islamabad, and Lahore. Most tourists come Pakistan by Air.There are several entry points into Pakistan by road, Wagah is the check post of visitors coming from India. Visitors from China come through the Khunjerab Pass. There are two main entry points from Afghanistan, Tor Kham between Pewshawar and Kabul...

Foreign Exchange Earnings

Although tourism is an excellent source of foreign exchange earnings, Pakistan has not succeeded in tapping it yet. The foreign exchange earnings from tourism have actually declined. In 1980, it was US$154.0 MILLION. in 1999, It fell to US$76.4 million. This downward trend is the result of two causes: the decrease in the number of tourists and the decline in the exchange rate of Pakistani currency.In 1999, the majority of the...

Development of Tourism in Pakistan

Pakistan expressed an interest in tourism as early as 1947, when it participated in the International Conference of National Tourist Organizations held in Paris. In 1949, Pakistan became a member of the International Union of Official Travel Organizations. For long, however, nothing concrete materialized. Initially Pakistan Railways was made responsible for tourism. In 1964, this responsibility was transferred to the Civil Aviation...

Tourism

It was soon after the World War II that the World recognized the tourism as an industry and a source of economic development. Today it is a major economic activity in many countries According to the UN, the number of international tourists was 750 million in 1997 . of them, 375000 (0.05) percent came to Pakistan.In tourism, the goods sold are not taken away by the buyer. the scenic beauty, archaeological sites, historical monuments,...

Pakistan Seaports

Karchi port:Located west of the Indus Delta on the Arabian Sea coast, the port of Karachi has served Pakistan since the partition. Over 250 years old, Karachi has a natural harbor sheltered behind the island of Keamari and a natural breakwater at manora. The whole of Pakistan, Azad Kashmir and Afghanistan comprise its hinterland.The story of this city goes back to 1720 when a group of merchants moved from Kharak Bunder on the...

Shipping

After the partition, Pakistan began with a fail shipping base. There were only three old ships with a dead weight the total weight of cargo which a ship can carry of 18000 tonnes. Almost all of the goods that were imported from other countries were transported on foreign ships, putting an additional burden on Pakistan's foreign exchange reserves.In 1963, the government formulated a new shipping policy which, among other things,...

Air Transport

In 1947, the only airline operating in Pakistan was the small orient Airways. Although two new companies, Pak-Air Limited and Crescent Airways, quickly sprang up, by 1952 they had been dissolved.Orient Airways was too small to meet the growing needs of the country. In April 1955, the government issued an ordinance creating Pakistan International Airlines (PIA). Orient Airways was merged with the new company. In 1990, government...

Highways

Highways are essential for trade and the transportation of goods and people. Most of the highways in Pakistan run parallel to the railway routs as for example. the road goes from Karachi to Lahore and then onwards to Peshawar. The famous Grand Trunk Road run from Lahore to Peshawar and then onward to the Khyber Pass and Afghanistan. it was built by Sher Shah Suri in the 16th century.The most important road between Karachi and...

Roads in Pakistan

Roads have always been an important method of transport, even before the railway was invented. In Pakistan, the road roads initially served as feeders to the railways. For long distance travel and particularly for the carriage of goods. The railway had no competition. with the passage of time, however, roads began to compete with the railway for all types of passengers, including long distance and night travel.Today, roads serve...

Transportation

Transportation is crucial to the economy of country. Railways and roads are the main arteries of communication, allowing goods to be transported from one part of the country to another. Though them, goods can be sent to seaports and from there to countries around the world. The transportation network is linked to the economic development of a country. The more develpment the country the more sophisticated its methods of transport...

Trade Partner to Pakistan

At independence, Pakistan's main trade partner was India. After about eight months, India raised its duty on export items. In 1949, when Pakistan did not devalue its currency along with the United Kingdom and India, India refused to accept the Pakistan government's decision. It was after this incident that Pakistan decided to deversify its trade relations.Close relations were established with the United Kingdom and then with other...

Imports

Pakistan's import trade registered a steady growth between 1947-8 and 1971-2. Since 1972, the trade in imports has accelerated. Between 1972-3 and 1989-90, imports increased 40 times, and from 1990 to 2000, four times. This rapid growth can be accounted for by various economic factors. In 1972, the Pakistan Rupee was devalued by 100 percent, so within one year, the value of imports doubled. From 1973, there was an uprecedented...

Exports

Pakistani exports have registered some growth with periods of fluctuation from 1947-8 onward. However, the increase in the value of exports has taken place largely because of higher prices rather than larger volumes.Since 1985-6 there has been a welcome boost in exports, Reason for this include diversification of goods and markets improved product quality, simplified export procedures, financial assistance to exporters.Traditionally...

Cottage and Small Scale Industries

A cottage industry is a small industrial unit in which the owner and his or her family work themselves and no hired labor is employed. Craftsmen and artisans have established such unites as a means of earning on a full time or part time basis. A small scale industry is one in which the fixed capital investment is below Rs 2 million.Cottage and small scale industries have played, and are destined to play, an important roe in a...

Iron steel and Engineering

In the early years after partition, Pakistan's industrial policy stressed the production of consumer goods. However, as early as 1955, people realized that the iron and steel industry was essential fro the economic development of the country. Even so, it was not until 1973 that the foundation stone of the first iron and steel plant was laid at Karachi, close to Port Qasim, with the technical and financial support of the USSR.Pakistan...

Fertilizers & Cement

Pakistan has an agriculture based economy, the fertilizer industry is vital to its survival. In addition to cow dung, compost and other manures, the agricultural sector requires chemical fertilizers. The consumption of chemical fertilizers has increased from 31000 nutrient tonnes in 1960-1 to 2.2 million tonnes in 19997-8. Although the production of fertilizer has risen, it has fallen short of the demand, and Pakistan has to import...

Chemicals

Basic chemicals, like sulphuric acid, soda ash and caustic soda, are required by many different industries. The basic raw materials for these chemicals like, salt, limestone, gypsum and natural gas, can be found in Pakistan in large quantities. Coal and oil are found in moderate quantities. At partition, Pakistan had a fairly weak chemical industry, but a great deal of progress has been made since then.Sulphuric acid is used...