Pakistan's policies cripple PoGB tourism as foreign climbers vanish and local economy suffers

The inflow of climbers, trekkers, and international and domestic tourists during the summer season also dropped by nearly 90 per cent last year, causing significant damage to the local economy, according to a Dawn report.

Tour operators attributed the steep decline in foreign visitors to a significant increase in permit fees, visa issuance delays, and other factors.

According to the PoGB tourism department, no foreign climbers or trekkers visited the region this winter. No foreign expeditions or trekking groups were granted permits during the winter expedition season, which generally runs from November to February.

Figures from the PoGB tourism department indicate that no foreign climbers or trekkers have visited the region during the winter season since 2023. PoGB tourism department Director Iqbal Hussain said several factors were responsible for the decline in winter tourism.

He stated that international conflicts and global uncertainty had led to fewer foreign climbers and trekkers visiting Pakistan, according to Dawn.

Meanwhile, the arrival of both foreign and domestic tourists during the summer season also declined last year, severely impacting the local economy. Liver Khan, a well-known tour operator and member of the Pakistan Association of Tour Operators (PATO), said the government's anti-tourism policies had contributed to the decline of both international and domestic tourism in PoGB.

He noted that nearly 90 per cent of the local population, including labourers, transport workers, hotel and shop owners, travel agents, tour operators, and porters in remote areas, relied on tourism for their livelihood. He added that the steep rise in permit fees for mountaineering and trekking, along with visa-related hurdles, had deterred foreign tourists, the Dawn report highlighted.

Another tour operator, Mohammad Ali Nagri, said that the hike in permit fees for foreigners had almost paralysed adventure tourism in PoGB.

According to the PoGB tourism department, only 270 international climbers visited the region during the summer season last year to attempt peaks such as K2, Broad Peak, Gasherbrum I, Gasherbrum II, and Nanga Parbat, compared with more than 2,000 foreign climbers and trekkers in earlier years, the Dawn report noted. (ANI)