RAWALPINDI, Pakistan: The Managing Director (MD) Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC) Chaudhry Abdul Ghafoor Khan met High Commissioner of Mauritius in Pakistan Soobadar Rashidally on Friday to fasten the bilateral relations on tourism cooperation between the two Countries.
According to a PTDC spokesman, the MD during the meeting informed the high commissioner that the combination of snow-capped mountain ranges of Pakistan, lakes, valleys, rivers, deserts, history and culture make Pakistan the most unique tourist destination of the world.
An example of which was Skardu where one can enjoy mountains, river, forest and desert at the same time and the flight lands between the sand dunes.
He told that after assuming the charge of MD PTDC, different sectors of tourism were segregated including Religious, Sports & Adventure and Medical Tourism etc.
He informed that he visited Thailand and met their Tourism Police Chief in order to learn from their experience and launch a same force in Pakistan too.
The prime minister’s vision for development of Pakistan as a modern and prosperous country resulted into launch of CPEC project which was starting from GB, he added.
CPEC was the future of Pakistan which would create millions of jobs not only for the country but also for the region by playing a pivotal role in launching billions of dollars economic activities for Pakistan. In past, tourism was a neglected sector but the present government is committed to develop Pakistan into an International Hub for business and tourism setting an example for rest of the world.
PTDC was focusing on Gilgit-Baltistan and soon a Ski resort would be developed at Nalter Valley in addition to a five-star hotel in Gilgit near the River.
“We are offering the PTDC’s 25 acres of land in Islamabad for development of a tourist resort as well as PTDC ongoing projects are also available for joint ventures,” he added.
Ch. Ghafoor said tourism was the only industry through which we could spread message of peace in the country and counter the terrorism. There were lots of common tourism features between Pakistan and Mauritius which include cultural and archaeological heritage as well as beach tourism which could be jointly publicized and benefits can be reaped. He said Pakistan Coastal Belt spreads over 1000 kms where countless opportunities for investments were available.
The high commissioner said there were huge opportunities of tourism in Pakistan, including ancient historical and cultural heritage. There were numerous beaches in Mauritius where many European Tourists come annually, he added.
Pakistan also needs to develop beach resorts. Due to lack of information available in Mauritius, the tourists flow to Pakistan is very low. Mauritius has four pillars of economy, of which tourism is the most significant pillar. Every week more than 20,000 tourists come to Mauritius for the very reason of political stability and peace. There is no military in Mauritius, and education is free from basic education to PhD level, due to which literacy rate is 100%.
The high commissioner said if promoted abroad, tourism sites in Pakistan may receive a large number of international tourists, he added.
