Govt urged to realise country’s tourism potential

ISLAMABAD: Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) President Engr Daroo Khan Achakzai said on Saturday that Pakistan could cope with the ongoing economic crisis by focusing on tourism, which has a huge potential and is one of the fastest-growing sectors in the world.

He expressed these views while congratulating Discover Pakistan CEO Dr Kaiser Rafique for launching the first-ever tourism channel in Pakistan during a meeting in which United Business Group (UBG) Chairman Iftikhar Ali Malik was also present, according to a statement issued by the chamber.

Paying rich tributes to those who were working for the promotion of the tourism sector, the FPCCI president said that a little help from different government departments could do miracles for the revival of tourism in Pakistan.

“The tourism industry of Pakistan has the potential to turn the country into a hub of economic activity as the total contribution of the industry in the global economy is more than $7.58 trillion,” he added.

He said the travel and tourism industry contributed just 2.7pc in Gross Domestic Production of Pakistan, adding that the chamber had already forwarded its proposals for the promotion of tourism sector to Prime Minister Imran Khan “who is also ambitious to transform Pakistan into tourism country”.

Iftikhar Ali Malik said on the occasion that Pakistan needs to market itself as a tourism destination as it is endowed with beautiful landscapes and other attractions.

He said Pakistan should learn a great deal from the initiatives taken by Muslim countries like Malaysia, UAE, Dubai and other countries in terms of social, cultural and economic policies.

He stressed the need to formulate a marketing and branding strategy for the tourism sector so that the soft image of Pakistan could be highlighted.

Malik also appreciated Prime Minister Imran Khan’s efforts regarding the provision of an E-Visa facility to 175 countries and visa on arrival to 50 countries. “But we must also improve the travel and tourism infrastructure which was also pointed out by the World Economic Forum in September 2019.”

Discover Pakistan CEO Dr Kaiser Rafique emphasised need to create awareness among the business community and investors about the huge potential of the tourism sector.

“Tourism is the main source of foreign exchange in several countries like Switzerland and Sri Lanka. We must develop this sector to attract local and foreign tourists,” he added.

4 COMMENTS

  1. People are scared to come to Pakistan because of islamic extremism. As long as the military continues to breed extremists tourism will remain a non-starter. It is in fact the height of delusion to talk about tourism when we still have terrorist attacks and riots by religious mobs every few months. Why just a few weeks ago they went on a rampage and attacked a hindu temple. How will they react to non-muslim foreigners in the country? Pak society is far too intolerant to tolerate non-muslims.

  2. Ask someone who has been actually visiting all these areas and experience tourism in Pakistan First hand. The tourism sector is surely gaining momentum and the tourist ratio in the areas like Hunza, Naran, Gilgit and further northern areas is quite significant. Can see these northern areas transforming but there is a need for 5 Star hotels in many of the areas as currently the options are less and demand is more. Would not be unfair to say that the number of tourists can double within the next 3 years time. China has also played a significant role by building the infrastructure in the North.

  3. Well, it a good news to allow people. Thanks for sharing such a wonderful information about tourism.
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