We Pakistanis display unique habits when it comes to traveling. A majority of the population doesn’t even believe in the idea of traveling. Many people have never traveled abroad, and most gape at the thought of taking time off their busy schedules for a vacation every year. Speaking from personal experience, the last vacation I took was four years ago, and that also to attend a conference in another city. Sad as it may seem, I am not alone.
For those of you who do travel frequently, there are certain things that you’re all guilty of. Read along to see how many of these things you have done.
- The most common trait almost all Pakistanis share is patience. Yes, you read that right. We patiently wait for the last minute to carry out even the most important of tasks. Case in point, according to the hospitality report by Jovago, the majority of travelers (34%) wait until the last day to search for hotels and book them. We might have planned the vacation well in advance, packed, and kept everything ready from before. A hotel we will book at the last possible minute—only 2% book it a week before the actual travel date.
- It could be the affordability issue, but the majority of domestic travelers (36%) prefer a 3-star hotel. We like to think that the 3-star hotels in Pakistan are that well managed that people want to stay there instead of 5-star ones.
- When it comes to choosing a hotel, people (27%) make sure the one they are staying has a good wifi connection or a pool—only 8% care to check if they will be provided with food.
- When the idea of a vacation pops in your mind, you quickly grab your smartphone or tablet to do a fast search. A whopping 61% of people use phones to search, but only 31% book through it. 63% still use computers to finalize the purchase. It’s almost like people still feel all-important work must be conducted through computers instead of phones.
- With Pakistanis so suspicious of technology, very few (3.5%) prefer paying for hotels online. All the rest just pay physically.
- According to stats, 80% of the women just plan the holiday. They ask the men in the family to make the booking. Only 20% of women take charge and do it themselves.
- If you find yourself traveling domestically quite often, chances are it’s your job that demands it. In Pakistan, people travel more for business than leisure.
- Lahore is the most frequently visited city for business, followed by Karachi. From the stats, it appears that these two cities are where all the action takes place!
- For tourists, the most frequently visited cities include Naran, Kaghan, Murree, and Nathiagali. No surprises there. The northern areas of Pakistan are breathtakingly beautiful.
- For most people, traveling means domestic. When they plan a holiday, they usually have something within the country in mind. For obvious reasons, of course. No visa troubles or passport issues and affordability, among other things.
All the stats were taken from Jovago’s Hospitality 2017 report.