Pakistan eying high dividends under new tourism policy: Qureshi

ISLAMABAD, Apr 2 (APP):Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Tuesday said with adoption of an unprecedented strategic policy on tourism, the government was eying promising dividends in foreign exchange and also increased employment generation.

Speaking at Pakistan Tourism Summit titled ‘Pakistan Tourism Industry – the Way Forward’, the Foreign Minister said with thorough revamp of the country’s visa policy, the government had made it easier for the world to travel to Pakistan.

Foreign Minister Qureshi said the new tourism policy based on facilitating international tourists would help build Pakistan’s positive narrative, project its soft power and improve standing in the comity of nations.

He said like the national economy, tourism sector was an important element in the foreign policy and stressed the need for developing deeper insight into the tourism industry through a coordinated mechanism and consultative forums.

He emphasized that with broader deliberations, institutions could ensure implementation of the tourism policy and expressed the hope that the country’s tourism profile would augment through workable and focused strategies.

He mentioned that tourism in Pakistan had increased by 300 percent during the past few years – from half a million tourists in 2013 to 1.7 million in 2017.

According to the World Travel and Tourism Council, he said the revenue from tourism contributed around $19.4 billion to the national economy and made up 6.9 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

He said international tourism moguls were taking note of Pakistan as the most attractive destination, calling it the “next big thing in international tourism”.

He said significant expansion was witnessed in domestic tourism, linking improved security situation in the country as a key factor.

Qureshi mentioned that visa fee was rationalized from as high of $595 to a maximum of $65. Electronic visa facility would be available to the citizens of 175 countries within 7-10 days of online payment, while visa on arrival would be for the people of 50 countries.

He said the Federal Cabinet had recently approved an aviation policy aimed at promoting tourism in the northern areas.

On the Kartarpur Corridor, he said Pakistan took an important confidence building measure with India, which would also give impetus to spiritual tourism to coincide with Guru Nanak’s 550th birth anniversary.

He hinted more initiatives like Kartarpur Corridor in future and expressed confidence that such steps would encourage religious tourisms from across the world.

The Foreign Minister mentioned that Pakistan had put in place an institutional mechanism for reforms in the tourism sector, including a National Task Force headed by Prime Minister Imran Khan on identifying tourist destinations across the country.

A National Tourism Coordination Board had also been set up for liaison among all tourism agencies to market the country’s tourism, he said and added that the aviation industry, hospitality and transport sectors needed to work in tandem at federal, provincial and local levels.

The minister stressed addressing of weaknesses to combat negative stereotypes and improve marketing framework for a “seamless tourist experience”.

He said Pakistan could learn from the experiences of Malaysia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates to specialize in dealing with the niche of adventure, eco-tourism and leisure through specific agents at tourist locations.