CHITRAL: National Tourism Coordination Board (NTCB) Chairman Zulfikar Abbas Bukhari performed ground-breaking of a five-star hotel in Chitral to ensure the provision of quality accommodation and dining facilities to visitors.
Addressing the ground-breaking ceremony, he said the facility was being set up in collaboration with the private sector. He said concerted efforts were being made to encourage the private sector for its active participation in the promotion of tourism sector.
The 80-bed hotel, having two restaurants and a hall with 500-person sitting capacity. is being constructed by overseas Pakistani Anwar Aman who announced to invest around Rs5 billion in the tourism sector in Pakistan.
Zulfikar Bukhari, who also holds the portfolio of the Prime Minister’s Special Assistant on Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development, extended his gratitude to the Pakistani diaspora for contributing in national development. He said the government has a comprehensive plan to promote the country as a customised brand across the globe.
The NTCB chairman said the Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC) was gearing up to launch all the initiatives delayed due to the closure of sector in the wake of coronavirus. The PTDC, he said, had developed ‘Brand Pakistan’ with the help of international experts and would launch it soon to introduce the country as a tourism brand across the world.
Brand Pakistan had three main components, including brand identity development, musical score creation and interactive e-portal, he added. He said an exclusive e-portal would soon be launched to provide world-class exposure to Pakistan’s tourist attractions through one click.
“The portal will consist of a user-friendly interface to interact with the prospective tourists and provide them online connectivity to view Pakistan’s tourist sites through virtual galleries, videos and documentaries, and avail the various available services,” he said.
Bukhari said the government had formulated National Tourism Strategy (2020-2030) to develop a harmonized framework for the tourism sector. It would focus on four key areas, including good governance, tourism demand and supply, jobs creation and enabling growth.
He said the country was also preparing to host the ‘World Tourism Forum’ next year to showcase the country’s tourism potential, attract investment and build Pakistan into an international brand. The participation of over 1,000 foreign visitors, including investors, companies, tourists and holidaymakers is expected.
Highlighting the tourism promotion steps taken by the government in last two years, the special assistant said prior to the COVID-19, the government undertook multiple initiatives at policy level, formed authorities at the federal level to boost coordination among federating units and opened up the country by easing the visa process to revive the sector.
He said the government constituted the NTCB with representation from all the provinces and stakeholders. Nine working groups were formed to assist the NTCB, with each group assigned a specific thematic area such as Policy and Regulatory Reforms, Eco-Tourism, Culture and Heritage Tourism, and Religious Tourism Working Group.
The board was responsible for coordination between federal, provincial and regional tourism organizations and departments, along with international tourism bodies for promoting the country’s tourism.
