British Backpacker Society catapulted Pakistan’s tourism potential to front page of CNN

ISLAMABAD, Jun 21 (APP):The British Backpacker Society BBS) has catapulted Pakistan’s tourism potential to the front page of CNN International’s website this morning.
The British Backpacker Society is committed to making the world realise the potential of off-the-beaten-track travel destinations, underpinned by the belief that a more connected, mutually-understood world is a better world, said a statement issued by BBS.
According to article published in CNN, When the British Backpacker Society released its list of 20 adventure travel destinations for 2018, the top spot was taken by a somewhat surprising entry: Pakistan.
Citing “mountain scenery that is beyond anyone’s wildest imagination” and the friendliness of the locals, the society says the South Asian country will change “every preconception that you ever held about this area of the world.”
In 2017, an estimated 1.7 million foreigners visited Pakistan, 200,000 more than the previous year.
In January 2018, it was announced that the country would be offering a multiple-entry 30-day visa on arrival to tourists from 24 countries including the US and UK.
Bookings are up 100% this year for Wild Frontiers, a tour operator based in the UK and US that have been running trips to Pakistan for 20 years.
For founder Jonny Bealby, it’s not difficult to see why the country is appealing to travelers once again. “I call it adventure travel’s best-kept secret,” he says.
“For the adventurous traveler it offers so much. More epic accessible landscapes than you will find anywhere else, meaning landscapes you drive to rather than trek for days to.
“In Hunza a mountainous valley in the Gilgit-Baltistan region for example, you can sit on the rooftop at your hotel having breakfast and you’ve got seven 7,000-meter peaks all around you, which is pretty incredible.”
For US-born travel blogger Alex Reynolds, who has visited the country twice, the things she read were not enough to put her off.
“My notions of hospitality were completely redefined by what I experienced in Pakistan,” she says.
“People invited me to stay in their homes. Hosts arranged everything from day trips to rides from city to city, and took days off work to show me around.
“Passersby on the street would invite me to tea or a meal without a moment’s hesitation. I’d never seen anything like it, and still haven’t experienced hospitality on that level anywhere else in the world.”
Reynolds adds that locals were delighted to see a foreigner — especially an American — take the time to travel through their country.
“They constantly went out of their way to make me feel as comfortable, safe and welcome as possible,” she says.
From the culture and infectious energy of the cities to its breathtaking mountains and valleys, Pakistan is the perfect destination for anyone looking to venture off the beaten track, she says. In fact, she’s hoping to return for another trip soon.
“Bring an adventurous spirit and an open mind, and you won’t have to find your way off the beaten track in Pakistan. The way will find you.”