LAHORE: Punjab Government’s 60 million dollars project with the assistance of World Bank could be a ‘game changer’ to boost religious tourism with the help of public-private partnership. If all goes well hundreds of thousands of Sikh, Buddhist and Hindu may start visiting Pakistan on regular basis.

Sardar Ramesh Singh Arora first elected Sikh member of Punjab Assembly told The Nation that the project to promote religious tourism will boost the local hotel industry to accommodate the lodging for the coming Yatrees. He said World Bank team’s one visit to meet the stakeholders is complete. “The next pre-appraisal mission of World Bank will take place in October this year. The 60 million dollar project will start in January 2017.

“Currently 20,000 to 25,000 Sikh pilgrims visit the country. There are 25 million Sikhs living around the world and if we get to target only 10 per cent of them that would be the turning moment in uplifting the country’s economy,” he said.  

Ramesh said being member of Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee he aims to increase the numbers of Sikh Yatrees coming to Pakistan. He said private sector has been engaged to build hotels in view of the expected increase in number of pilgrims coming to Pakistan.

“For example Saudi Arabia in 1960s did not have huge infrastructure but they realized that without uplifting the country’s religious tourism industry they would not be able to turn themselves into rising Arabian Peninsula country and world’s fastest growing economy. For Sikhs Pakistan is just like their Makkah and Madina as all the sacred religious sites of Sikhs are in Pakistan.

“India’s Golden Temple in Amritsar attracts hundreds of thousands of pilgrims annually but if we thoroughly compare tourism industry between India and Pakistan, the latter has more potential to grow. Sikhs across the world have shown excitement and interest in the project,” Ramesh said.  

The project included restoration and conservation of five Gurdawras included Nankana Sahib Gurdwara, Gurdwara Sacha Sauda (Lahore-Faisalabad Railway Line), Hasan Abdal Gurdwara, Kartarpur Gurudwara (Narowal) and Gurdwara Rori Sahib Eminabad (Gujrawala). It also includes the restoration of Buddhist sites in Taxila. The project also includes Construction of a Sikh Heritage and Cultural Museum, 220 guest rooms and a three star hotel in Nankana Sahib.

When huge influx of Sikh Yatrees would be coming then surely our law enforcers and security agencies would be on board as they were in the past, Ramesh Arora added. Ramesh said our foremost priority in the project would be to improve the accessibility and accommodation for pilgrims from train and from airports to the religious sites.

“With help of Punjab’s concerned departments involved in the project we are going to revive the cultural and archaeology importance of the Gurdawaras. Actually it is multi-prolonged approach and strategy to build a set-up where Sikhs hailing from different parts of the country would find them with full of facilities once arrived in Pakistan. More counters at Wagah Railway Station and at country’s international airport would be set-up to provide maximum facilities to coming Yatrees.

World Bank spokesperson in Islamabad confirmed the project. “It will be a tourism development programme where the World Bank will play a limited role for a short span of time. The World Bank’s financial assistance is yet to be determined. The World Bank financing will not be utilized for work on or in any of the sites as all the sites are with the Evacuee Trust Property Board, which is federal government entity whereas the project will be signed with the provincial government focusing on cultural and heritage tourism in broader sense.

“For promotion of cultural and heritage tourism in general hotel industry has been engaged during consultations. Tourism industry potential in general is based on World Tourism and Travel Council’s estimates. The Bank has yet to estimate potential for industry,” the spokesperson said. He clarified that the project does not focus on Sikh pilgrims in particular.

Raja Riaz is running a travel agency named Darshan Deedare, which mainly deals with facilitating the Sikh yatrees. “Most of the religious sites of Sikhs are in Pakistan. Sikhs living in different countries of the world would love to come here,” Raja said.

“World Bank and Punjab government are collaborating to promote religious tourism. We have made some recommendations before concerned officials that online visa or you what is called Visa-on-Arrival would be a ‘game changer’ for the tourism industry. Upon guarantee and authority latter of local travel agents, senior citizens may be exempted from standing in long queues for visa.  

“Pakistan has a lot of potential to lure Sikh, Hindu and Buddhist as many religious sites of these three religions are located here in Paksitan. We can attract tourists from Japan and Far East,” Raja said.