Forbes features Pakistan in 'Under-the-Radar' tour destinations for 2020

"Pakistan is perhaps the ultimate adventure travel destination," says founder Jonny Bealby.

(Web Desk) –American business magazine, Forbes, has featured Pakistan in the list of must-visit tour destinations for travelers to experience something new and different in 2020.

American magazine in its “The Not Hot List” highlighted Pakistan’s historical places of Lahore and Northern areas as the ‘ultimate’ adventure travel destination. The list digs magazine digs into locations that are “off the beaten path,” and provide travelers a “proper escape from the everyday in an increasingly homogenized world.”

According to Forbes, Wild Frontiers has been tipping Pakistan as the next big destination for a couple of years now, but with the recent visit and royal seal of approval from the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, they anticipate the destination will continue to be one to watch.

Travel off the beaten path in 2020 https://t.co/OLa4kzvzMC pic.twitter.com/xzEJEOTar2

— Forbes (@Forbes) January 3, 2020

“Pakistan is perhaps the ultimate adventure travel destination,” says founder Jonny Bealby. “It offers ancient Indus civilizations 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.

"Pakistan is great for trekking, mountain biking, rafting or just cultural tourism. The infrastructure has also improved, with resurfaced roads and new tunnels cutting down travel time, new luxury hotels are opening up in the region.” Wild Frontiers’ 16-day group tour travels up to the Northwest Frontier taking in mountain scenery, the Kalash people, the Hunza Valley and the Kingdom of Chitral.

Travel writer Ann Abel notes that 2020 is an especially great year to visit countries on this list, as closed countries are finally opening up—Pakistan under Prime Minister Imran Khan has expended much oxygen extolling the virtues of the country’s tourism potential—while traveling to countries seldom seen by the average tourist helps scratch holidaymakers’ increasing itch to go off the beaten path.

Bealby further validated the incumbent Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government’s desire to boost adventure tourism in the country by noting its great potential. “Pakistan is great for trekking, mountain biking, rafting or just cultural tourism. 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 said.

Also on Forbes’ list: Armenia for its rich, ancient culture and traditions; Chad for its expansive size, safety and largely untouched natural beauty; China for its growing market of nature tourism; Eritrea for the potential to explore a country that is just opening up for tourism and contains a “rich diversity of wildlife and breathtaking highlands”; Guatemala for its unfettered environments that have only recently opened up for overnight stays; Mongolia and its ancient rock art, ever-changing scenery and the Altai Kazakh Eagle Festival; Saudi Arabia for finally introducing tourist visas that offer visits “diverse attractions, from ancient archeological sites to modern cities, mud-brick forts to verdant forests to red sand dunes”; Algeria and its marvelous mosques, markets and unique architecture; and Uzbekistan and its rich history as a part of the Silk Road.

Last year, Conde Nast Traveller, a luxury travel magazine aimed at upmarket tourists, also named Pakistan as the destination its editors were most excited about in not only the upcoming year, but also the next decade.