Tourism boost vital to portray Pakistan’s soft image, generate revenue, jobs: PM

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan Thursday said Pakistan’s soft image could only be portrayed through promotion of tourism, which would not only generate revenue but also open up employment opportunities.

Chairing a meeting of the National Coordination Committee on Tourism here, the prime minister said Allah Almighty had blessed Pakistan with different climatic zones and numerous untapped tourist spots.

Minister for Industries Hammad Azhar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mahmood Khan, SAPM for Overseas Pakistanis Syed Zulfiqar Abbas Bukhari, Minister for Tourism Gilgit Baltistan Samina Baig, Minister for Tourism Azad Jammu and Kashmir Mushtaq Minhas, Secretary Cabinet Division, Managing Director PTDC Intikhab Alam and senior officers attended the meeting.

Advisor to the Punjab Chief Minister on Tourism Asif Mehmood, Sindh Tourism Minister Syed Sardar Ali Shah, Balochistan Tourism Minister Abdul Khaliq Hazara, chief secretaries of Punjab, Khyber PakhtunKhwa, Sindh and Gilgit Baltistan and provincial secretaries participated through video link.

The prime minister said the government was focused on eco-tourism to ensure the environmental conservation while managing tourist spots.

He said the Federal Government would provide all possible facilitation to the provincial governments for development and promotion of tourism sector in the country.

Special Assistant to the PM (SAPM) for Overseas Pakistanis Syed Zulfiqar Abbas Bukhari apprised the meeting that substantial work had been undertaken for development of religious tourism.

He said geo-mapping of all existing and potential tourism sites, strategies for promotion, public private partnership modalities, anti-encroachment drive on tourist spots and waste disposal plans were underway.

In that regard, all provincial governments were on-board.

He said for promotion of hospitality sector, incentives would be provided for import of machinery and equipment.

He also presented Tourism Development Plan 2020-21 that included human resource capacity building, preparation of master plan for 40 sites, seven theme parks, development of 60 new sites, National Standards and Certification for quality services to tourists and 30 international standard feasibilities.