BISHKEK: The city of Lahore has been named the Tourism and Cultural Capital for 2026-27 by the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).

The decision was anno­unced at the 26th meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of State in the Kyr­gyz capital, which was att­e­nded by PM Shehbaz Sharif.

The title of Tourism and Cultural Capital has been rotated annually among SCO member states since 2022, and the designation serves to highlight the pro­minence of a city that emb­odies the cultural heritage of the country that takes over the rotating presidency of the organisation.

This year, Pakistan assumed the SCO presidency, with PM Shehbaz defining the theme of the chairmanship as ‘Turning Vision into Action: Connectivity, Innovation and Shared Prosperity’.

Cities that have held the title in the past include Varanasi, India (2022-23), Almaty, Kazakhstan (2023-24), Qingdao, China (2024-25) and Cholpon-Ata, Kyrgyzstan (2025-26).

The decision to designate Lahore as the tourism and cultural capital was taken in April this year, when the heads of tourism administrations of SCO member states met in Bishkek.

The designation is designed to promote people-to-people contacts and tourism among the member states.

Published in Dawn, September 2nd, 2026