From Abid Usman
LAHORE: Feature Globally, the economic potential of agriculture is huge and the size of the world population is growing tremendously while affecting the resource availability. To explore new economic landscapes, agriculture is now shifting to entertainment of agri-farming which is well connected with digital-economy.
Pakistan is an agricultural country and its agro-fields are covered with crops mostly all year-long with agronomic crops, vegetable fields, wheat and rice fields, orchids and herbal plants.Agricultural scenic beauty becomes worth watching when crops bloom at their peak , making the time spent at village unforgettable.Appearance of village crop beauty with modern digital tools and social media is mind blowing and everyone wants to explore the beauty of agricultural fields.
Agri-Tourism Development Corporation of Pakistan Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Tariq Tanveer while talking to media said that Agri-tourism was the crossroads of tourism and agriculture, adding the natural beauty provided public visit working farms, ranches or wineries to buy products, enjoy entertainment, participate in fields’ activities.
He said in Pakistan, organizing agricultural events in village areas, agri-field trips, field activities and picnic parties for school kids and community could help set a new trend of generating money to strengthen the economy. Most of the European countries are generating a big chunk of their annual earnings and GDP through exposure of their scenic sites by using digital communication, which has changed the entire world.
Pakistan,including Punjab, Sindh agricultural landscapes, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s Swat valley, Naran, Kaghan, Gilgit-Baltistan, and a lot more regions in the country are the most beautiful places, which could attract tourists from across the world and take economy of Pakistan to new heights, he believes.
Muhammad Sarang Bhatti, a noted agri-landlord from Sukheke Mandi said that in modern digital era, eco-tourism and village agricultural scene attractions have emerged as a source of foreign exchange and the fastest revenue generating industry, across the world.
In fact, digitalization and technology hold the promise of progress and prosperity for almost every country, including Pakistan.
Pakistan Association of Tourism Operators President Maqsoodul Mulk told media that Pakistan could achieve tremendous revenue goals in agricultural tourism if the government appoints professionals and experts to all formations of the industry and ensures good communications infrastructure. Mulk said that the government’s recent decision to end the mandatory ‘No Objection Certificate’ (NOC) was welcomed globally and the number of domestic and international tourists was increasing every year.
According to the World Travel & Tourism Council, Pakistan’s travel and tourism industry has contributed more than 7 percent to GDP with the worth of PKR 2,452 billion in 2018. It includes foreign and domestic travel and tourism spending amounting to Rs. 115 billion.
