Tourism being made revenue-generating sector in KPSenior Minister Muhammad Ati…

Tourism being made revenue-generating sector in KP

Senior Minister Muhammad Atif Khan has said that tangible steps are being taken to make tourism a revenue-generating sector and improve the socio-economic condition of the people in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Representing Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the Pakistan Travel Mart 2018 in Karachi on Wednesday, Atif Khan said that the province was blessed with abundant natural resources, which make the province a preferred destination for both the domestic and international tourists.
Additional Secretary Sports, Tourism, Archaeology, Culture, Museums and Youth Affairs Babar Khan, General Manager Tourist Information Centres (TICs) Muhammad Ali Syed and other officials were also present.
Speaking on the occasion, the senior minister, who also has the portfolio of Sports, Tourism, Archaeology, Culture, Museums and Youth Affairs, said that Prime Minister Imran Khan had constituted a Task Force for promotion of tourism in the country.
He said concerted efforts would be made to introduce Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as a tourism brand to the world to attract more tourists and visitors to the province.
He said that basic facilities would also be provided to the tourist resorts across the province and infrastructure would be developed to boost local tourism.
The Tourism Department is participation in the three-day Pakistan Travel Mart 2018 that kicked off in Karachi on Tuesday.
The department has for the first time also invited travel and tours operators to showcase tourism potential and boost the sector on modern lines in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Besides Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, Balochistan, Sindh, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir are also participating in the event.
It has set up a pavilion named as ‘KP Pavilion’ where cultural and traditional items, handicrafts, Kalash culture and costumes, documentaries, brochures, pamphlets and posters on heritage and history, tourist and scenic spots are being displayed.
Sindh Minister for Tourism and Culture, Syed Sardar Ali Shah, inaugurated the Pakistan Travel Mart 2018. He also visited the KP Pavilion and stalls and appreciated the organizers’ skill and professionalism.
The visitors enjoyed traditional and folk music, cultural items, traditional cuisines and a lot of more at the KP Pavilion.
The travel and tour operators have also set up stalls highlighting the initiatives taken by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government for the promotion of tourism.
The Tourism Department has taken a number of steps for the revival of tourism to attract foreign and domestic tourists to the province.
In includes the installation of camping pods in the tourist resorts in Swat, Shangla and Abbottabad, introduction of tourist policing system, beatification and infrastructure development projects.