Restricting foreign tourists

Are all foreign tourists spies in disguise? Last week, the federal government reportedly asked the Gilgit-Baltistan government to prevent foreigners from visiting GB if they didn’t have a NOC (security clearance) on them. Later in the week, the interior ministry, which issues the said NOC in Islamabad, reportedly defended the directive, noting that the requirement of the NOC had been in place since 1994.

The directive, which has irked tourism industry stakeholders, points to continued disregard by the federal government of the fragile nature of tourism in a country that is highly susceptible to bad press. One can understand the security imperatives of monitoring spying activities in a border region that is to become the key node for CPEC. But viewing all foreign tourists with suspicion is a self-defeating exercise.

Such measures give an impression that Pakistan, otherwise a hospitable country, does not welcome folks to step foot on its land. To begin with, leisure travelers have to overcome adverse travel advisories and negative media hype in choosing to come here. And there is the discouraging visa process. Talk to any foreign tourist who has been here and odds are high that they would complain about the arduously-long visa process. This is an era when countries, even in this volatile region, are moving to e-visas.

Then there is the apparent futility of the exercise. One wonders why folks need an NOC after all. Have they not been put through enough security checks during their visa applications? Or is it another case of do-little bureaucracy attempting to assert its relevance?

Already, Pakistan’s international tourism competitiveness – as ranked in the World Economic Forum’s Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index (TTCI) – is touching rock bottom. The country ranked 124 out of 136 nations this year, faring only better than Bangladesh and countries sin the sub-Saharan Africa region.

Pakistan’s natural landscape, its historical and archaeological sites, and its cuisine and culture do not deserve such treatment. It is the government’s lack of prioritization that seems to be hurting foreign tourism more than anything else. In this particular case, instead of putting the onus of innocence on foreign tourists, the law enforcement must up their own game.

Then there is the matter of livelihoods. The latest emphasis on requiring NOC won’t make it any easier for overseas folks to visit the picturesque GB region. The region, which is heavily dependent on tourism inflows, has yet not recovered its foreign traffic from the slump that came following the 9/11 shock. While security is important, it doesn’t have to come at the cost of economic freedom.

Domestic tourism has picked up in recent years. That has brought with itself both good and bad after-effects. But domestic tourism is confined to a single season and cannot replace the positive externalities associated with foreign tourism. The security situation is now remarkably better in the country. And it needs to be showcased to foreigners. Instead of walling itself off, Pakistan needs to open up now.