ISLAMABAD: While the three-day Islamabad Tourism Festival (ITF21) has been a fun family event which saw an eruption of music and adventure sports in the capital, recreational activities like horse dancing, tent pegging and remote-controlled flying marked the last day of the event.

Activities like paragliding, vintage car shows, live music, food festivals, accuracy landing and wingsuit flying were regular features on all three days of the festival that started on March 5 and continued till March 7.

The festival, according to organisers, was held to celebrate the beauty of Islamabad. A conference titled ‘Pakistan Tourism Forum’ besides a grand concert were highlights of the event on the closing day.

Tourism conference, concert highlights of last day

The event was attended by members of parliament including Minister for Information and Broadcasting Shibli Faraz, Minister for Aviation Ghulam Sarwar Khan, Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination Dr Fehmida Mirza, Federal Minister for Energy Omar Ayub Khan, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Overseas Pakistanis Syed Zulfikar Bukhari, Minister for Culture (Gilgit-Baltistan) Raja Nasir Ali and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Secretary Tourism Midhat Shehzad along with heads of tourism forums and experts.

Vlogger and travel writer Angela Carson shared with the audience, her documentary, Balochistan Brought Me to Pakistan.

Speakers highlighted the importance and potential of Pakistan’s tourism industry and challenges faced by it. They shared ideas about how to revamp the sector post Covid-19 and where and how to invest while receiving support from the government.

The event was organised by Pakistan Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association (PHPA) and Cutting Edge Group in collaboration with National Tourism Coordination Board (NTCB).

The festival aimed to bring the rich cultural heritage of Pakistan before the world. Art and culture of all provinces was shown while performers like Sahir Ali Bagga, Nirmal Roy, Aima Baig, Abdullah Qureshi, Sid Rapper, Ali Azmat and Elizbeth Roy contributed to making the event memorable. Folk musicians from Balochistan, Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Azad Kashmir entertained visitors with their amazing performances.

Prizes were distributed among winners of all competitions and the festival ended with a display of digital fireworks. People of all age groups attended the festival as there were activities for everyone.

Published in Dawn, March 8th, 2021