PESHAWAR
The senior vice president of Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) Shahid Hussain has said that the tourism sector of the province has extraordinary potential to attract tourists from across the globe.
SCCI will play effective and tangible role in attracting the business community of the province to invest in the sector under Public Private Partnership
He expressed these views while addressing a seminar organised by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Culture and Tourism Authority (KPCTA) and Planning and Development (P&D) in collaboration with SCCI to attract private investment in the tourism sector of the province.
Shahid Hussain maintained that there are countless tourist spots in Pakistan, especially Khyber Pakhtunkhwa where the private sector can be involved for better results.
“ There is a dire need for practical steps to improve infrastructure facilities and other arrangements to take advantage of the tourist spots, “ he added.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Tourism Authority has taken commendable steps so far to develop a feasible environment for tourists and the business community will support the government to attract tourists of the countries, he added.
Ijaz Khan Afridi Director General (DG) KPCTA Bakhtiar Khan General Manager (GM) Investment of Tourism Authority Umair Khan Khattak Shehryar Khan, former president of SCCI investors and senior officers of relevant government departments and others also participated in the seminar.
DG Bakhtiar Khan while addressing the participants of the seminar has informed the participants of the tourism department about the Integrated Tourism Zones (ITZs) and said that the business community and investors should have a public-private partnership.
He also invited the trader community members to participate in the road show on behalf of the tourism department scheduled to be held on January 19 in Islamabad.
Umir Khan Khattak, GM Investments at KPTCA informed the participants in detail about the procedures for the establishment of Integrated Tourism Zones and the steps to be taken in the tourism sector through a multi-presentation.
He said that the authority is taking practical steps for the promotion of Eco-Tourism, while there are numerous opportunities for digital tourism across Pakistan.
A senior officer of the authority said that the tourism sector has a share of 3% in Pakistan’s GDP, which is gradually increasing over time.
He said that the tourism sector has provided employment to 3.6 million people while the present provincial government has increased the budget for the sector by 600% giving priority to tourism.
