 Pakistan is seeking to highlight its Buddhist heritage as part of a broader effort to attract more visitors from Thailand and the Asean countries. A key objective is to narrow the huge imbalance in visitor arrivals; in 2008, a total of 63,258 Pakistanis visited Thailand but only 2,618 Thais returned the favour.
| I can't imagine why there would be such a great imbalance. |
Diplomatic, economic and tourism officials on both sides say stronger bilateral efforts to fix the imbalance are long overdue.
In Bangkok, Pakistani ambassador Sohail Mahmood has organised visits by Thai Buddhist leaders to Pakistan's Buddhist heritage sites, such as Taxila, Takht-i-Bahi and the neighbouring city remains at Sahr-i-Bahlol. Both are among the six UNESCO heritage sites in Pakistan.
Pakistani tourism authorities also say they are keen to learn from the Thai experience in dealing with the red-shirt crisis. They say they can identify with Thailand's complaints about being vilified in the international media and the misuse of the word "terrorism"
- a problem Pakistan has been facing for many years. At the same time, they are awestruck by how quickly Thailand was able to counter the negative coverage and revive visitor arrivals.
| "Jumpin' jihadi on a pogo stick, these Thais are public relations wizards! How do they do it?" |
Said Pakistani Tourism Minister Secretary Hifz-ur-Rahman, "We need to supress rectify the negative propaganda against Pakistan. Negative travel advisories are damaging the image of the country as reported in the western media." Indeed, the two countries have much in common. Both are strategically located with long and porous overland borders that are almost impossible to control. Both have political systems in which the military plays a major role.
| So why the tourism imbalance? Why? Why? WHY? |
In terms of tourism, Pakistan's natural and cultural assets are equal to those of Thailand. The difference is that Thailand has been able to build on these with policy measures to facilitate access, enhance transport links, develop a strong brand image and ensure strong delivery of products and services.
| Perhaps there could even be factors we've overlooked. Who can say? |
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