“Adapt yourself to the changing circumstances of the world; if you don’t do that , be ready to be crushed under the feet of those who do so.” The saying carries a universal message to be understood and implemented by all who want to remain alive in the history. Realizing the importance of the very same principle, Tourism Department of Punjab has started to open arms for IT interventions in almost all its operations and functions. One among the many IT based ventures is the creation of an application created for the facilitation of tourists in Punjab. The application named Punjab Tourism App is an outcome of strenuous and relentless efforts made by Tourism Department and PITB(Punjab Information and Technology Board) and carries much that can be of immense value for those who are keen to explore the tourism potential of the province. Initially , 511 tourist sites of Punjab have been made part of the the application – working to increase this number is under way and within a couple of days many more would be able to find place on it. The application provides pictures ,description, information , and google location of all the sites which are part of it.
For the facilitation of the tourists , the application provides searching option in three ways. Firstly, one can make search by clicking the name of the district one is interested in. A single click would open the names of all the tourist sites located with in that district categorized according to the type of tourism they are related with. A further click on the name of the particular site would open the page of that site where a number of pictures, historical description , necessary information , and google location of the site is available for the assistance of the tourist. Secondly , one can search a tourist site with reference to the category of sites in which it falls. For instance , if someone is interested in finding a particular fort, he will open the “General Search Option” available in the app and just write the name of the fort. The page made for the fort being searched will be in front of the searcher within no time. If someone wants to see all the forts of Punjab, he will write a single word :fort ;and a list of all the forts will be displayed in front of him to scroll down and choose any one of them.Finally – and more interestingly – a person can use the app for getting information of all the sites that are located with in the distance of 5,10,15,and 20 kilometers of the point he is positioned at. This is possible by just clicking the option of “Nearby Attractions” and setting the radius for which the search is to be made.
Likeweise, The application provides the option of giving feedback regarding a particular site as well. One can go through the comments made by the general public before planning his visit thereof. The provision of feedback option is equally valuable for the administration as well , as it is the shortest and fastest way of getting acquaintance with public needs at a particular tourist site and taking necessary steps for their addressal. The app can be downloaded on both Android and IOS based cell phones from the play store option. Thousands of users have downloaded this application uptil now and are using it for getting information regarding different tourist sites of the province.
The application , which is extremely useful because of its peculiar features is still in its first phase .In the next phase the option of booking tourism related facilities like transportation and accommodation will also be made part of it making it more valuable for the users.
Tourism Department Punjab has chalked out an exhaustive plan for the upgradation of the app in terms of number of sites and the data available regarding a particular site. As per plan, more than three hundred sites will soon be added to the already present 511 sites – making the total number 800+. Likewise, the number and quality of pictures is also being enhanced by engaging professional photographers and assigning them the task of capturing the tourist attraction of all the sites to the maximum possible extent.
Punjab Tourism Application is one of the many steps that have been taken for the technological upgradation of the tourism sector in Punjab. Continuity of such initiatives is immensely important for helping tourism sector perform at its maximum potential. There are no two ways about it that the journey towards an economically stable Pakistan passes through the island of a strong and well developed tourism sector. One can just pray that the journey continues even in the face of all the impediments that have been emerging in the form of Covid -19 and other such calamities.
