Zulfi seeks top private firms’ help to promote tourism as global brand

ISLAMABAD, Aug 27 (APP):Chairman National Tourism Coordination of Board (NTCB) Sayed Zulfikar Abbas Bukhari Tuesday exhorted top consultants and private firms to assist Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC) to promote Pakistan tourism as a global brand.

He said the process was underway to finalize name of the brand in order to ensure its distinctive feature from other competitors.

Addressing the 2-day consultative workshop of NTCB and expert groups on tourism, organized by the PTDC in collaboration with United Nation Development Programme(UNDP), he said the PTDC would float tenders this week in order to develop Pakistan tourism industry as a customized brand in the world.

“I invite Pakistan’s top private companies to come forward and help us giving Pakistan’s tourism a brand which it deserves,” he said while citing the examples of various countries’ tourism brands, just like ‘Visit Dubai’.

Zulfikar Bukhari appealed the private sector to trust the government and take a lead for promoting the country’s tourism across the globe. “The role of local and International private sectors is imperative for development of tourism in Pakistan,” he added.

Zulfikar Bukhari said the role of government was to put together the business plans and hand them over to the private sector for carrying out the development work in the tourism sector. “It is not our job to become private entity and run the hotels,” he added.

After coming into the power, he said Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government had arranged many workshops and seminars on tourism that showed its keenness with regard to tourism promotion.

“Such events give us a chance to sit together for evolving proper plans in a holistic manner, rather than working in silos,” he added.

The Chairman said the government had recently formed the NTCB, comprising leading professionals from tourism sector, to strengthen the coordination among federation, provinces and international organizations to project the various type of country tourism.