One of the two accused, Muzamil Sipra, after his arrest in Dera Ghazi Khan, Pakistan.
Snapshots from Arabela Arpi's Instagram show her exploring local cultures and traditions in Pakistan. Photos: Arabela Arpi
Arpi met the accused Muzamil Sipra (left) and Aazan Safdar (right) during her previous travels, during which she trusted them, prompting her to go with them on the last trip to Dera Ghazi Khan. Photos via Couchsurfing.com and Arabela Arpi
Pakistan’s tourism industry is worth $22 billion, according to one estimate. In the past, Pakistani officials have admitted foreign influencers were more valuable in boosting tourism than local creators. Pakistan eased visa rules and increased the tourism budget exponentially over the years. At the same time, this foreign influencer army has risen into prominence, citing government initiatives in their posts and receiving open support from political parties. “Over the years, we’ve seen them make a lot of money for content that is vacuous and generalises their own experience just for clicks and likes,” Hassaan Bin Shaheen, a Pakistani lawyer and comedian, told VICE World News. “You see it in the way they romanticise the global south, prey on the mass nationalist sentiments, confirm their political bias and play into the state narrative.”“The process showed that if someone of my privilege can struggle to get justice, imagine what happens to all the women in Pakistan who don’t have the same resources that we do.”
Alex Reynolds (below, center) has been advocating travelling in Pakistan, albeit with precautions and knowledge about the cultural nuances in different parts of the country. Photo: The Mad Hatters
Last year, Nas Daily, a wealthy Arab-Israeli blogger, shut down his operations in the Philippines after his company was accused of profiting off of an indigenous tattoo artist in the country. The 30-year-old, who is also accused of normalising Israeli occupation, has been likened to a neocolonialist who profits off of local cultures.“What we’re seeing in Pakistan is ‘travel colonialism. It's when white influencers come to developing countries and exploit people’s biases to make a good bang for their buck.”
Aneeqa Ali (centre, in black) is an experienced solo woman traveller from Pakistan who also runs her own travel agency. Ali cautions against solely relying on influencers' vlogs for information on travel in Pakistan. Photo: Aneeqa Ali
