Lahore
Secretary Tourism, Archaeology & Museums Punjab, Dr. Ehsan Bhutta, said that the Government is committed to encouraging hotels, restaurants, travel agencies and tour operators to play an active role in developing a vibrant and sustainable tourism sector.
He added that the Tourism Department is taking effective steps to promote tourism business across the province to attract local and international tourists and strengthen the hospitality industry.
Chairing a meeting to review the progress of registration and renewal of tourism related businesses, Dr. Ehsan Bhutta urged all tourism operators to complete their registration with the Directorate of Tourist Services (DTS) to get benefit from the government s facilitation measures. Managing Director Tourism Punjab Asim Raza, Additional Secretary Sadaf Zafar and other senior officers attended the meeting.
Secretary Tourism informed that Department has launched a digital registration and renewal system to simplify procedures, enhance transparency, and facilitate stakeholders. He stated that these reforms are part of the Punjab Government s vision to promote responsible, inclusive, and high-quality tourism across the province.
Dr. Ehsan Bhutta shared that a total of 1,105 entities have been registered and renewed under the DTS, including 523 new registrations and 582 renewals, generating Rs. 25.58 million in revenue for the provincial exchequer. Among the newly registered entities were 184 hotels, 297 restaurants, 41 travel and tour operators, and one tourist guide, while 116 hotels, 65 restaurants, 396 travel and tour operators, and five tourist guides renewed their licenses.
He appreciated the efforts of DTS teams for ensuring transparent and efficient processing and noted that the Punjab Tourism Squad (PTS) is assisting DTS in field operations at Murree, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Faisalabad, and Multan to support and guide tourism operators.
For public facilitation, the 1421 Helpline (UAN) is available for complaint redressal and information related to registered tourism service providers.
