Hello Local Guides,
Some time ago, Local Guides from Pakistan got a special invite to share their thoughts for a short documentary from a rapidly growing channel called “We News” at Bagh Ibn E Qasim.
I submitted a meet-up on Connect to invite more people to this event. I wanted more folks to share their thoughts and goals through Google Maps, which will be shown in this video documentary. The invite was not just for a meeting. I received an invitation from a Pakistani news channel called We News. It’s like the Urdu version of Arab News in Pakistan and has 120k followers on social media. They wanted to feature the Local Guides community in their headline news through a 1-minute video news package. Also, They have 4-minute video packages every hour after the headlines and also share
on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. It was a big honor for us, as more people got to know about the Local Guides community and the amazing volunteer work we do.
So, on the day of the meet-up, a warm Sunday morning in Karachi, Local Guides and my friends @DrFoodieOfficial (Rizwan Shah) and @Bilal_shaikh who are so passionate about the local guides program gathered for a photo walk and a Video Documentary by We News at Bagh Ibn Qasim in Karachi at 10 am. Even though it was Sunday, because of the very hot weather, people weren’t coming to the park for a picnic or to sit. This made our work easier and very goo
Before sharing more about our meet-up Let me share some cool facts about Bagh E Ibne Qasim with you:
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Bagh Ibne Qasim is a huge park situated near the beach in Karachi, Pakistan.
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Previously known as Rupchand Bilaram Park, it was even larger before some land was allocated for other projects, reducing its size to 132 acres in 1964.
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In 1966, the Karachi Development Authority took over the responsibility of maintaining the park.
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Significant improvements were made in 1974, including the renovation of old structures and the construction of a protective wall along the sea to alter the water’s proximity to the park.
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In 1994, important parts of the park were safeguarded by the law to preserve its cultural and historical significance.
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Unfortunately, over the years, the park suffered from neglect and inadequate maintenance, leading to a decline in its condition.
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By 2001, the park was nearly vacant and had lost its former glory due to lack of care and attention.
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Bagh Ibne Qasim covers approximately 132 acres near the Arabian Sea.
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Key attractions within the park include Jehangir Kothari Parade, Katrak Bandstand, and the old Karachi Aquarium from 1919.
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Lady Lloyd Pier, extending 600 feet into the park, is another notable feature.
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The park hosts a turtle area, dinosaur paintings on walls, 24 bathrooms, a mosque, and 20 stone shelters.
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Visitors can enjoy the beauty of a well-maintained rose garden within the park.
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Additionally, one can catch a glimpse of the tall 90-meter Port Fountain of Karachi Port Trust from the park.
You can check my Google Maps Review about Ibn E Qasim Park Karachi here.
For the video, Mr. Waqas Aurangzeb Khan was also there on time. After some photography, we went to the spot where we had to shoot the video and speak in front of the camera. We waited for more than 30 minutes for other people, but when no one showed up, we began our activities there.
But before I continue, I want to say that we consider ourselves fortunate to be part of a global family that volunteers to make other people’s lives better. This family does a lot of things to help others, like supporting businesses by putting them on Google Maps with all the needed information promoting tourism in our countries by giving the most up-to-date information about these places, and many other incredible volunteer tasks.
While we were talking in front of the camera, we shared a lot about the Local Guides program and our fantastic community on Local Guides Connect.
Here’s a summary of what we discussed:
- Our Community and its Reach:
Our community of 200 million local guides volunteers not just in Pakistan but all around the world. We all help update Google Maps. We use Google Maps and the Local Guides Connect forum to display Pakistan’s tourism spots to the world.
- Helping Small Businesses:
If you own a small business and want to boost it using Google Maps, there are many features available to help you achieve this.
- Example of Impact:
For instance, let’s consider the North NazimAbad Food Street. Restaurants in this were known to locals, but after being added to Google Maps, they became top visited places in our province, even attracting people from other cities in Pakistan.
- Supporting Tourism:
We love discussing how the Local Guides program supports tourism. We explained how Local Guides share information about tourist attractions through articles on Local Guides Connect. These articles often show up as top search results on Google, helping more people discover these beautiful places. We shared our own experience visiting Makli Necropolis in Sindh, Pakistan, and how our post on Local Guides Connect helped others learn about this amazing place.
Other Important Topics:
- How our contributions can help people in need.
- Sharing amazing places in Pakistan through Google Maps and Local Guides Connect.
- Helping differently-abled individuals through Google Maps and Local Guides Connect.
The reporter really liked what we were doing.Even though they couldn’t include all our talk in the four-minute video, we’re glad that most of it made it to the video. Thousands of people saw it on
Facebook ( 5k Views ) and Twitter (3k views). However, there were fewer views on YouTube.
The video talked about how important Local Guides are in helping travelers find amazing places in Pakistan that are not very well known. It also showed the good work being done by Google Local Guides in Pakistan. It encouraged people to be a part of this and help out too. Many people shared this video on social media and got interested in the Local Guides program. It motivated more folks to become a part of this community and help showcase Pakistan’s beautiful culture and history.
At the end of the meet-up we visited Karachi Press Club, where Waqas Aurangzeb Khan was invited for a brunch and for another documentary video, which was about Google Crowdsource. The best thing I noticed here was 
Accessibility-friendly features.
Here you can check some more pictures and Google maps review about Karachi Press Club.
We News Short Documentary on YouTube “Local Guides who assist through Google Maps in providing guidance” 
Pakistan local guides. You guys do it so passionately. My journey as a local guide has been successful, thanks to you 
