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KARACHI, Jan 21 (APP):Federal Minister and Chairman Board of Investment, Qaiser Ahmed Sheikh, highlighting centuries old civilizations and colorful bouquet of cultures nurturing on the lands of Pakistan, on Wednesday emphasized on development of infrastructure and facilities to tap the real potential of the tourism sector.
The federal minister was speaking to the inaugural session of the Sustainable Tourism Forum and Expo, organized by Islamic Chamber of Commerce and Development (ICCD) in collaboration with Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI), Sindh government and other relevant public and private sector organizations.
Qaiser Ahmed Sheikh stated that Pakistan is the land of one of the earliest civilisations on the earth and a hub of a variety of cultures and religions including Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism. Pakistan, with a wide array of historical and archeological sites and mesmerizing landscapes stretched from the coastal line to the highest mountain peaks of the world, offers a bounty of tourism opportunities, he added.
The government is taking multiple steps and giving incentive on investment in tourism for development of the sector, he said, stressing on further investment for improvement of infrastructure and facilities for the foreign as well as domestic tourists.
Referring to recent strategic and financial achievements of Pakistan, Qaiser Sheikh said that following the recent Pakistan-India conflict, it has been realized that Pakistan is a stable country capable of finding solutions to its internal issues. Under the vision of PM Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asif Munir and with collective efforts we have made significant progress, he said.
The minister also emphasized the opportunities in Halal food and said that through coordinated efforts export of Halal food products has witnessed a growth particularly to a vast market of Malaysia, Indonesia and other Muslims countries.
Appreciating ICCD, FPCCI and other partners for organizing the Forum and Expo, he said that such events provide opportunities to have more interaction and open new avenues of economic coordination and trade partnership. He hoped that this forum would help boost the government’s efforts for promotion of tourism in the country.
The Secretary General Islamic Chamber, Yousef Hassan Khalawi and President FPCCI Atif Ikram Sheikh also addressed the inaugural session and highlighted the aims and objectives of the forum and expo.