A file photo of world's second highest peak Mt K2, which lies in PoK
In what could come as a fresh breath for an economically struggling Pakistan, Forbes has rated it as one of the world’s top "under-the-radar" travel destinations for the year 2020 in a recent article.
The American business magazine put out a video on its Twitter feed mentioning Pakistan, along with other offbeat travel destinations such as Chad, Guatemala and Eritrea.
"Despite tipping Pakistan off as one of the next big destinations since a few years, the recent visit by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge has made Pakistan one of the most-anticipated destinations to watch out for,” Pakistani publication News International quoted John Bealby, the founder of boutique travel company Wild Frontiers as saying.
"Pakistan is perhaps the ultimate adventure travel destination," he has also reportedly said.
"It offers ancient Indus civilisations stretching back 4,000 years, and exciting cities like Lahore with its forts, mosques and palaces. But most of all, it offers incredible scenery, particularly in the north where the three greatest mountain ranges collide.
The Karakoram mountains and surrounding areas, which like in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), have long been renowned for their rugged peaks and stunning landscape.
Bealby said that the south Asian country was great for adventure activities like biking, rafting and trekking. “The infrastructure has also improved, with resurfaced roads and new tunnels cutting down travel time, new luxury hotels are opening up in the region," he reportedly said.
