LAHORE: Syed Zulfiqar (Zulfi) Bukhari, Special Assistant to Prime Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and Tourism has said that the PTI government is very serious in promoting tourism in the country and they are thinking of introducing a tourism model developed by Khyber Pakhtunkwa in Punjab.

He expressed the views during an inauguration ceremony of a new Tourism Development Corporation of Punjab (TDCP) building here on Thursday. He was accompanied by Advisor to Chief Minister Punjab on Tourism Asif Mehmood, TDCP Chairman Dr Sohail Zafar Cheema, MPA Nasir Qayyum, Secretary Tourism Ehsan Ullah Bhutta and TDCP Managing Director Tanveer Jabbar.

On the occasion, the PM's Special Assistant said that local tourism has more potential than foreign tourism in Pakistan. "As per the vision of the Prime Minister tourism is being promoted in a comprehensive way and we are in no hurry to make Pakistan an international destination overnight", he added.

Bukhari said that tourism was badly neglected in the past and different governments took it as an ordinary department. However, he said, the PTI government is very serious in the development of tourist sites and construction of own building of TDCP is a clear proof of this seriousness. "The Prime Minister wants to introduce KP Tourism model in Punjab," he added".

Later, Bukhari chaired a high-level meeting, in which Advisor to CM Asif Mehmood briefed him about future plan of the tourism department.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020