Pakistan listed as top tourist destination for 2020 by US magazine

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government's efforts with regard to tourism promotion has started yielding positive results as Condé Nast Traveler, one of the world's best travel portals, has listed Pakistan as one of top tourist destination for 2020.

"The adventure traveller's must-visit goes from strength to strength," said the world's best travel magazine while highlighting Pakistan's scenic and mesmerizing tourist attractions.

Outlining the adventure tourism potential in the country, the magazine wrote: "Pakistan has more peaks taller than 22,965ft than China and Nepal combined, making it an almost magnetic spot for adventure travellers and intrepid hikers." "Visitors can follow in Michael Palin's steps while traversing the 12,250ft Shandur Pass, home to the world's highest polo field, or meet with the Kalash people of the Hindu Kush, famed for their cowrie-shell headdresses and brighter-than-bright embroidery," it noted.

The magazine also mentioned the recent visit of Britain's Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William and Kate Middleton, to Pakistan and the measures taken by the present government for boosting tourism including relaxed visa restrictions.

Sharing this news on the social media, National Tourism Coordination board (NTCB) Chairman Sayed Zulfikar Abbas Bukhari tweeted: "My homeland tops the list because there is no other like it. Come�visit and explore Pakistan." With the recent visit of Britain's Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William and Kate Middleton, it seems that the inbound tourism in Pakistan would continue to surge as a London-based travel company Wild Frontiers has also listed Pakistan among its top travel destinations for the year 2020.

According to the Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC), Inbound tourism in Pakistan has witnessed a marked increase of over 70 per cent during the year 2018 as compared to corresponding year, mainly due to multiple initiatives, specially improved security situation.

"The number of foreigners, who visited Pakistan in 2018 on tourist visa stands at 17,823, which was 10,476 in 2017," an official source in the PTDC told APP.

He said as many as 60,070 foreign travel enthusiasts visited tourist attractions in the country during the last six years, especially to the mesmerizing places located in the northern parts of the country.