Pak has great potential to attract tourists: Zulfi Bukhari

Islamabad: Pakistan has great potential to attract tourists and government would promote tourism as a national cause to open the country for local and foreign tourists. This was said by Syed Zulfiqar Abbas Bukhari, Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Overseas Pakistanis and Chairman, National Tourism Coordination Board while addressing a press conference at Islamabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry on Pakistan Tourism Summit being organized by jointly by ICCI and Landmark Communication at Jinnah Convention Centre, Islamabad from April 2-3, 2019. Syed Zulfi Bukhari said that Prime Minister was very keen to promote Pakistan as a destination of tourists. He said that tourism was very profitable sector and private sector should come forward to invest in this industry while the government would fully facilitate them. He said government was planning short and long term plans to promote tourism and major focus would be on inbound tourists as promotion of inbound tourism would pave way for attracting foreign tourists. He said government has removed NOC requirements for foreigners that was a big step to promote tourism. He said PTDC would be revamped to promote tourism. He appreciated the initiative of ICCI and Landmark for organizing summit on tourism and said that more such summits were needed to promote this sector. Addressing the press conference, Ahmed Hassan Moughal, President, Islamabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry said that the PTI government was keen to promote tourism and the purpose of organizing Pakistan Tourism Summit was to highlight the tourism potential of Pakistan to attract more tourists to the country. He said tourism would improve foreign reserves, promote business and investment and create more jobs in the country. He appreciated the decision of the government to abolish NOC requirements for foreigners to visit Pakistan and termed it a highly positive development that would greatly facilitate foreign tourists to visit the places of their choice in Pakistan for tourism purpose. He said that panel discussions on 7 topics of tourism will be held in the Summit that would lead to development of good proposals for promoting tourism in the country. He stressed that government should consider those proposals for implementation in order to make Pakistan a destination of first choice for tourists. Speaking at the occasion, Syed Muhammad Ali Hamdani, Chief Executive Officer, Landmark Communications said that the two-day summit shall bring all major state institutions, national leadership, business & corporate sector, diplomatic diaspora, media, social influencers, civil society and international stakeholders under one roof for the cause of tourism promotion and the subsequent global rebranding of Pakistan. He said the Summit would not only be helpful in promoting tourism, it would also be instrumental in promoting investment and economic activities in the country. He said that Landmark Communications was the team behind organizing the leading annual international travel- trade expo Pakistan Travel Mart in Karachi Expo Center and hoped that in collaboration with ICCI, it would organize two-day summit successfully.