Pakistan Set to Target Adventure Market in Australia
Australia provided fewer than 10,000 tourists to Pakistan in 2006 so it is not a target market, said Salman Javed, Managing Director, Pakistan Tourist Development Corporation, picured right, speaking exclusively to TravelMole at corporate headquarters in Islamabad last month.
“Despite this relatively low number of tourists, we recognise the potential of the Australian market especially the adventure segment”, he said, adding, “In order to reach this niche market PTDC officials are planning to organise the first-ever travel agent famil from Australia to Pakistan later this year”.
“The plan is not finalised,” said Javed, “but the idea is to “bring a small group of selected Australian agents to Islamabad and then take them to New Delhi on the train.”
The travel agent famil “would likely be coordinated with Thai International in the third or fourth quarter of 2007 in conjunction with one or more high profile special events,” he said.
“The Australian travel agent initiative would be part of a major marketing and promotional campaign currently being implemented by the PTDC”.
In 2006, Pakistan tourism targeted a number of specific markets for the first time by identifying prime tourist generating countries and matching them with relevant travel products.
In tandem with this effort, PTDC officials either attended JATA Japan, WTM London, BIT Beijing, ITB Berlin, ATM Dubai and a major Indian travel mart last year or will do so in 2007, said Mr Javed.
In addition, roadshows are planned for the first time to many of our key markets in 2007, he said.
The UK is the top tourist market for Pakistan followed by the USA. Australian arrivals topped the 9000 mark in 2005 while the world total of 800,000 was a “pretty good result”, he said.
This figure includes VFR traffic so “we don’t get a true figure as to actual tourist arrivals,” he admitted.
Mr Javed anticipates that the targeted promotional efforts being made by the government for Visit Pakistan Year 2007 will have a significant impact on tourist arrivals in 2007 and beyond.
“While the PTDC is not awash with resources to fund ongoing promotional activities the government body has taken a decision to utilise undeveloped land that it has held – in some cases for many years – to generate revenue for tourism purposes”, he said.
“The PTDC owns various parcels of land throughout the country which could be developed for such projects as hotels or even a theme park in Islamabad or Lahore”.
“The revenue generated would finance ongoing promotional activities but first we need foreign investors to participate in these projects”, he said.
Exclusive Report by Thomas E. King, TravelMole’s Travel & Lifestyle Correspondent.
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