In a bid to promote Pakistan’s tourist
attractions, the World Bank has pledged its support to the Pakistan Tourism
Development Corporation (PTDC).
The bank is committed to developing
tourist facilities and resorts in the country by sponsoring different projects.
These assurances came in a meeting held
between PTDC officials and a World Bank delegation on Monday.
PTDC Managing Director Abdul Ghafoor
said the World Bank was also supporting the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor
(CPEC), besides several other development projects, which would benefit over
three billion people in the region.
The PTDC will develop tourist
facilities and resorts along the CPEC route through joint ventures and private
investments.
After restoration of peace in the
country, a remarkable increase in foreign tourists has been recorded compared
to previous years.
The planned projects include a bus
terminal at Nankana Sahib, one motel each at Hawks Bay (Karachi), Moenjodaro
and Baran Kalay as well as tourist facilitation centres in Karachi, Lahore,
Islamabad, Muzaffarabad, Gilgit, Peshawar and Quetta.
Ghafoor told the delegation that PTDC
land was open for investment specifically meant for tourism projects.
Delegation head, private-sector
specialist and tourism expert Wouter Schalken said Pakistan’s tourist
destinations were worth more than any other part of the world. “All we lack is
appropriate publicity and promotion.”
“We recommend the PTDC to promote
tourist destinations of the country over national and international media
aggressively to bring more foreign tourists to Pakistan,” Schalken said. APP
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