Shanghai Cooperation Organisation names Lahore as its ‘Tourism and Cultural capital’

Shanghai Cooperation Organisation names Lahore as its 'Tourism and Cultural capital'.

Key points

• Cities that have held the title previously include Varanasi, India (2022-23), Almaty, Kazakhstan (2023-24), Qingdao, China (2024-25) and Cholpon-Ata, Kyrgyzstan (2025-26).
• Dawn Report Published September 2, 2026 Updated September 2, 2026 07: 28am.
• BISHKEK: The city of Lahore has been named the Tourism and Cultural Capital for 2026-27 by the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).
• 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'.
• The decision was anno­unced at the 26th session of the SCO Council of Heads of State in the Kyr­gyz capital.

Dawn Report Published September 2, 2026 Updated September 2, 2026 07: 28am. Join our Whatsapp Channel. Add Dawn as a trusted source.

Notably, the decision was anno­unced at the 26th session of the SCO Council of Heads of State in the Kyr­gyz capital. It was att­e­nded by PM Shehbaz Sharif.

For context, 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.

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

In practice, the designation is designed to promote people-to-people contacts and tourism among the member states. Published in Dawn, September 2nd, 2026.

For now, shanghai Cooperation Organisation names Lahore as its 'Tourism and Cultural capital' remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.