Plenty of reasons for Omani tourists to visit Pakistan

Muscat: An average of 15,000 Omanis travel to Pakistan annually, according to the ambassador of Pakistan to the Sultanate.
“An average of 15,000 visas are issued to Omamis on yearly basis,” said Ali Javed, Ambassador of Pakistan to Oman.
An Omani wellness coach and peace activist, Fahad Al Abri, discovered his love for Pakistan after he visited the northern area in July 2018. Renowned for his famous handstands around the world, Al Abri has been to Pakistan three times in less than a year and is planning a fourth at March end.
“My journey to Pakistan started with the trip to stunning northern cities, and it just didn’t end there. After that, I have been to Karachi and Lahore to see the other side of the country. What takes me back to Pakistan every now and then is its beautiful culture, landscape, breathtaking architecture and the diversified cityscape.
“Although I have been to a lot of places and cities in Pakistan, I still haven’t discovered the country to its potential. There is so much to see and explore, and that’s why I have planned another trip at the end of March to Multan and Peshawar. I really hope that with the change in Pakistan’s recent visa policy, Oman is one of the 50 countries to get visas on arrival so that I can travel regularly to see every aspect of the country,” Al Abri said.
Another Omani citizen, a frequent traveller to Pakistan, plans to visit the northern areas of this year.
“I have been travelling to Pakistan since 2011 as a part of my family is based in Karachi and Balochistan. However, I have never been to the northern side of the country and have been planning to do so since I saw some beautiful pictures of valleys and mountains in Swat, Naran and Kaghan during my last trip to Karachi in November 2018. I, along with my cousins plan to make the trip happen this year around Eid holidays as we heard the best time to visit the northern area is between June and September,” said Faisal Al Balushi, businessman based in Muscat.
Explaining Pakistan’s popularity among Omanis, Shahzad Paracha, country manager of Pakistan International Airline Oman, said: “With world-class medical facilities, coupled with skilled doctors available at affordable rates, Pakistan is slowly becoming a leader in medical tourism.”
“People of Oman are familiar with Pakistan, its incredible beauty, rich diversity of cultures, languages and religions. A notable feature of the people-to-people contacts between Pakistan and Oman in recent times has been the increasing tourist flow to Pakistan from Oman.”
Pakistan’s new visa policy intends to encourage tourism. “The current Government is the beginning of a new era in 70 years. Pakistan is a retreat for all tourists and therefore, there are four categories in the tourism sector of Pakistan. The new visa policy has been introduced in Pakistan and in this regard, 175 countries have been given e-visa services while 50 will get the facility of visa on arrival,” said Chaudhry Fawad Hussain, Information Minister of Pakistan.
Ali Javed, Pakistan’s Ambassador to Oman said the step was another effort to welcome more people to visit Pakistan. “The liberalisation of visa regime is yet another step towards welcoming more and more people to visit Pakistan whether to do business or to discover it’s cultural and heritage grandeur dating back 5,000 years in addition to the world’s tallest mountains and glaciers,” he added.