Private sector urged to invest in tourism

ISLAMABAD, Apr 9 (APP):Chairman National Tourism Coordination Board, Sayed Zulfikar Abbas Bukhari has ruled out the elevation of tourism sector without the help of private sector, urging them to invest in the country’s one of profitable industry.

Zulfikar Bukhari, who was also the Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Overseas Pakistanis suggested to engage the travel agencies, businessmen, private companies and overseas Pakistanis for building accommodations and hotels at tourist resorts.

The Special Assistant gave this opinion while chairing at the board’s second meeting held here to improve coordination among the federation and provincial authorities.

The meeting was attended by the provincial tourism ministers, departments and the members of NTCB.

“The private sector is ready to invest in the hotel industry, the next phase is to channel their investment in the development of resorts at tourism attractions,” he remarked.

The board also decided to set up an inter-provincial committee to brand Pakistan abroad which was vital to change the perception of the country globally.

The members from Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, and Gilgit-Baltistan backed the idea of establishing such platform to promote the country’s tourist destinations in different international travel trade shows.

Zulfikar Bukhari directed the provincial authorities to identify and make documentaries of the attractive tourist spots to present the country’s pluralistic image abroad.

The participants of meeting assured of creating an endowment fund for the making documentaries of the existing tourist resorts and unexplored scenic areas.

Highlighting the paucity of resources being faced by the provinces, they apprised the chairman about the policies, functions of the respective provincial tourism departments and the identification of new tourism sites.

Zulfikar Bukhari said the federal government was ready to facilitate the provinces and help develop road infrastructure leading to the tourist destinations.

He expressed satisfaction over the policies chalked out by the provinces to uplift the country’s tourism industry.

He stressed to focus on adventure, cultural and religious tourism,
“We have tourism policies and authorities made in respective provinces, all we need is a vision, resources and direction to make Pakistan a ‘brand’ in international tourism,” Zulfikar Bukhari said.