Articles and letters may be edited for the purposes of clarity and space. They are published in good faith with a view to enlightening all the stakeholders. However, the contents of these writings may not necessarily match the views of the newspaper.
Tourism economy of Gilgit-Baltistan
The Gilgit-Baltistan region is one of the most attractive areas in the world and its economy could get a boost from tourism and trade with China through the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). The area where the project headquarters will be located will gain the most benefits through it. According to statistics released by the Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC), 172 million tourists visited the region, which was more than triple the number of tourists to visit in the previous year.
Tourists have contributed Rs300 million to the local economy in the past few years. Moreover, the tourism boom in the region was expected to increase to 2.5 million visitors in 2018, and contribute more than Rs 450 million to the economy. Tourists visit Gilgit-Baltistan to explore the beautiful sites it has to offer, such as the K2 mountain, also known as Chhogori (meaning King of the Mountains), which is the second- highest mountain in the world after Mount Everest, and is the highest peak in Pakistan at 8,611 meters above Sea level.
The Deosai National Park is a high altitude alpine plain and national park and is located within the Astore District of Gilgit-Baltistan. The Khunjerab Pass is the highest paved interactional border crossing in the world (with China) and then highest point on the Karakoram Highway, while Naltar valley is famous for its beauty and the mountains provide a perfect location for skiine
SUNDAS NADEEM
Islamabad
A new era of marketing
As life has evolved over the years, so has marketing. Basically, marketing is a process of generating or identifying a need and then fulfilling it, but problem is that every business does marketing, from a local vendor on the street of Raja Bazar who sells corn, to a giant brand in a big mall which sells premium watches but still most of businesses fail because they are not able to attract the consumers to buy what they are offering.
Lots of businesses have waved the white flag because of the intense competition that they face in market. With increased competitors, businesses have to evolve to compete, and one way to do that is by experiential marketing. Talking in the context of Pakistan, we have seen a few brands that include experiential marketing but it is definitely not common. Experiential marketing is not just about showing the audience what the company is offering but what it stands for by interacting or engaging with them and creating a real-life experience which can be remembered.
Because in contemporary world, it is tough to attract the consumers just by advertising, but having an emotional connection or interaction with the target audience is necessary so that you can know about their needs or you can engage with them in real world. Now the real question is about the application of experiential marketing; how can you engage with the consumers or create synergy with them, which can be done through setting a small stage in a big event, or by doing some activity in the public so you can attract more market and giving them experience which can be remembered.
AYESHA SAFDAR,
BILAL AHMED
Via email
Garbage problem
Through the columns of your esteemed newspaper, I would like to draw the attention of the concerned authorities towards the serious metropolitan problem of garbage in Karachi, which is nothing new, with around 16,000 tons of garbage generated in the city. When it comes to better basic facilities, Karachi is the first one to be forgotten despite being the city which generates highest taxes.
So Sir, I would like to bring to your attention to the Gulshan Iqbal, North Nazmabad, New Karachi area, where next to none garbage bins are placed for the proper disposal of the garbage. The waste is often thrown on the road and sometimes it smells so bad that it is difficult to pass through that area. The concerned authorities should work on the proper garbage disposal.
This bad system is generating many fatal diseases. Flies are found immensely and it is helping to the growth of mosquitoes. Malaria has just broken out and many people have become its victim. This atmosphere may give birth to many dangerous diseases such as dengue and cholera. If this condition remains to continue for a few weeks, we may lose many precious lives due to carelessness of relevant authorities. I, hereby, request that this matter should be taken in hand seriously, by relevant municipal authority. Immediate steps must be taken to stop this disastrous issue so that people can live comfortably, as dealing this matter without care can lead to grave consequences.
AYESHA IMRAN
Karachi
Damaged roads of Karachi
One particular issue that the authorities rarely focus on is the bad condition of roads across the country. 75% of area of Karachi and many other cities of Pakistan have poor and broken roads. It is a very great issue to discuss and solve it in a proper manner because roads are the basic way of communication intra-city as well as inter-cities. Roads connect people they make the most extensive network of transportation in the country. So the point is if our roads are not of quality, then people will face difficulty in using the means of communication and performing their daily life chores.
It is not wrong to say that the concerned authorities are lethargic. Even though people pay toll taxes that the authorities collect for the maintenance of the roads and highways, the poor quality of roads are increasing day by day. As if that is not enough, people have illegally encroached tracts of government land that make roads shrink. So the question that needs to be asked from the authorities is if they have any plan for making the roads better when both population and traffic in the cities are growing on an unprecedented scale.
So I request the government officials and especially our beloved Prime Minister Mr Imran Khan to look into the matter. He can direct the local officials through an executive order to take prompt action in this regard so that the common man faces no hurdles using this source of communication. Also, the local officials need to initiate an anti-encroachment drive against those who have shrunk the road of the city to make money for themselves.
NISHA ASGHAR
Karachi
