ISLAMABAD:
President Dr Arif
Alvi on Tuesday said today’s Pakistan was a land of opportunities but there was a need to exploit the
vast tourism potential of the country.Speaking at a
tourism summit here, the
President said the present government was following a comprehensive policy for promotion of
tourism in the country which would not only exploit the unexplored
tourism spots but also unleash economic opportunities in the country.The
President said
tourism opportunities was a jewel for Pakistan and northern areas of the country were more attractive than the
tourism resorts of the entire world.He said after restoration of peace in Pakistan there had been a significant increase in number of tourists to northern areas of Pakistan.Dr.
Alvi said there were
vast opportunities of religious and traditional
tourism in Pakistan and a lot of remittances could be gained from promotion of
tourism in the country.He said Pakistan had large opportunities of heritage
tourism as well, adding the promotion of
tourism would be a guarantee of progress and prosperity of northern parts of the country.The
President said Prime Minister Imran Khan himself was very fond of
tourism and he was taking personal efforts for promotion of
tourism in the country.He said the government had taken a number of initiatives in that regard but stressed that a responsible development for promotion of
tourism was must.The
President also stressed the need for more facilities for travelers and added that the government would provide facilities but the private sector would have to come forward to make it a success.He said Pakistan had a great
tourism potential but there was a dire need to exploit it and promote it at domestic and international levels.He said holding of road shows abroad was of paramount importance to attract foreign tourists in that regard.He said the initiation of open visa policy was a good step of the present government and it would have a very good effect on promoting
tourism in Pakistan.Earlier, CEOs and representatives of various groups said a vibrant
tourism policy would unleash economic opportunities and usher in new era of
tourism promotion in Pakistan.The called for creating an enviable environment by offering incentives to the private sector in that regard and added that development of infrastructure, road net work, energy, water sanitation etc was basic requirements of
tourism promotion.They said though there were challenges but the country was on the roadmap of tourism.State Minister for Interior Shaharyar Khan Afridi, Ali Muhammad Khan, Members of Parliaments, diplomats and a number of tour operator from various countries were present on the occasion.Later, Mohammad Atif Khan, Provincial Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for Tourism, Culture, Sports, Archaeology and Youth Affairs presented a shield to the president.
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