September 27, 2003	Saturday	Rajab 29, 1424

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ISLAMABAD, Sept 26: President General Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali have said the tourism industry can play a pivotal role in economic growth and poverty alleviation.

They expressed these views in their messages to Minister of State for Culture and Tourism Rais Munir Ahmad on World Tourism Day being observed on Saturday.

The president in his message said: “We are fully aware that a vibrant tourist industry can not only help in creating jobs and improving the standard of living of the people, but also serve as a major source of earning valuable foreign exchange.

“In order to achieve objectives there is a need for greater cooperation between the public and private sectors.

“The government is making efforts to provide an enabling environment. It is for the private sector and all other stakeholders to come forward and avail this opportunity for the benefit of all concerned,” the president said in his message.

Meanwhile, the prime minister in his message said he was happy to greet the nation on World Tourism Day so as to emphasize its importance for Pakistan as a country with great potential for tourism, “both by way of ancient cultures and historical monuments and the gifts of nature in the form of mountains and deserts”.

“Gone are the days when tourism was a luxury of the idle rich. During the last half a century, with the spread of education and awareness, and the desire to see as much of the World as possible, it has burgeoned into a high-powered industry, and there are some countries, which actually live on the profits earned from visiting tourists”, Mr Jamali added.

He said it was gratifying to see that, this year, the underlying thought on World Tourism Day had been invested with a purposeful meaning by adopting the theme.

“Tourism is a driving force for poverty alleviation, job creation and social harmony.

“All the three aims are close to the mind and heart of the present government of Pakistan, and, within its limited resources, it is engaged in working on them as best as it can.

“In everything that we do while promoting tourist activities, we should endeavour to draw economic and social benefits by viewing tourism in these contexts,” he said.