Pakistan’s initiative to relax and simplify the visa regime to encourage more tourists and investors to visit the country is a welcome policy well-received by stakeholders. However, the policy alone will lead to little tangible change. Pakistan’s visa policies, while previously stringent, are not the main reason most investors and tourists stay away. The primary reason is the perception that Pakistan is an unsafe country.

Without addressing this perception, no amount of administrative facilitation will increase travel to the country to the levels the government expects. The fact that Pakistan’s most populated urban center, home to centuries of culture and its only developed seaside city, is consistently ranked as one of the most unsafe destinations in the world is a glaring example.

In the Economist Intelligence Unit’s (EIU) Global Livability Index 2023, Karachi was ranked 169th out of 173 cities. This month, in Forbes Advisor’s list of the three riskiest cities in the world, Karachi was second only to Caracas, Venezuela. While these lists are not definitive or comprehensive standards, they influence the perceptions of the people Pakistan aims to attract with its visa policies.

The real solution is to address crime, infrastructure, and tourism facilities in the most popular destinations. In Karachi, this is a difficult and long-standing problem that requires a consolidated effort from both the central and provincial governments. Additionally, Pakistan needs to rehabilitate its global image through diplomatic and media campaigns.

Ultimately, the lack of security is at the heart of our economic woes, and it is also the enemy of tourism.