Pakistan has made it to Forbes The Not Hot List: 10 Best Under-the-Radar Trips for 2020 as travellers and tourists are looking for something new, something different this year.
The American magazine wrote “Closed countries are opening up. Savvy luxury agencies are making remote destinations accessible to travelers who don’t want to rough it or risk much. And it’s also just feeling like the right thing to do.”
Other countries featured on the list includes Armenia, Chad, Eritrea, Guatemala, Mongolia and Saudi Arabia among others.
It points out that many tourists want to travel off the beaten path and to places where they can avoid other tourists. The list is based on this newly discovered need of modern tourists.
“Where can we go to avoid other tourists?” is one of the most common questions asked by travellers from travel agencies now. Hence, they along with local tour guides are “finding innovative ways to counter overtourism and responding to our clients’ increasing demands for travel ideas that are sustainable and off the beaten path,” the magazine highlights.
Wild Frontiers founder Jonny Bealby’s company anticipates Pakistan as a destination to be one to watch in coming years especially after the nod from Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s recent visit.
Travel off the beaten path in 2020 https://t.co/OLa4kzvzMC pic.twitter.com/xzEJEOTar2
— Forbes (@Forbes) January 3, 2020
On why the country is the next big destination, he said “Pakistan is perhaps the ultimate adventure travel destination.”
“It offers ancient Indus civilizations stretching back 4,000 years, and exciting cities like Lahore with its forts, mosques and palaces. But most of all, it offers incredible scenery, particularly in the north where the three greatest mountain ranges collide. Pakistan is great for trekking, mountain biking, rafting or just cultural tourism. The infrastructure has also improved, with resurfaced roads and new tunnels cutting down travel time, new luxury hotels are opening up in the region.”
In December 2019, world’s best luxury travel magazine, Condé Nast Traveler listed Pakistan as number one holiday destination for 2020.
This was followed by British Backpacker Society ranking Pakistan third on on its highest potential adventure travel destinations for 2020 list.
Despite the country witnessing a revival of tourism in the recent past due to a new e-visa system and much-needed other reforms, a lot needs to be done especially in terms of improving infrastructure to facilitate tourism.
