PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Tourism Department and the World Bank have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for a joint venture to develop new tourist sites and tourism integrated zones to facilitate tourists in the province.

Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Hammad Azhar, secretary Economic Affairs Division Noor Ahmed, secretary tourism, culture and youth affairs department, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Kamran Rehman, World Bank Country Director Illango Patchamuthu, its private sector senior specialist Kiran Afzal, KITE project director Tausif Khalid and other officials attended the MoU signing ceremony, said a press release issued by the provincial tourism department here on Tuesday.

It said that a number of uplift schemes to be completed under the ‘Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Tourism Integrated Zones Development’ project would boost tourism and facilitate tourists in the province.

According to the MoU, the WB would provide $70 million for the KITE under the project to develop new tourist spots and rehabilitate the existing attractions in the province.

Under the project, steps would also be taken to promote ecotourism to pave the way for environment-friendly projects in the tourism sector.

Development of new tourism zones, beautification and infrastructure development through investment projects in KP, widening and rehabilitation of roads, institutional uplift through sustainable tourism development, increasing tourism assets, planning public-private partnership, evolving strategy for environmental protection with the help of stakeholders, preservation of heritage sites and other tasks are part of the MoU.

A number of other initiatives, including strengthening environmental system, framing rules and regulations for existing and new tourist sites, and evolving a system for granting licence to organisations working in tourism sector, would be taken to facilitate tourists.

Promoting products and services in financial discipline system, roads and tracks construction, water and electricity supply and other development and reconstruction projects in tourism sector are part of the project.

Published in Dawn, November 27th, 2019