LAHORE: The Punjab Board of Investment and Trade (PBIT) on Wednesday constituted a joint working group for tourism promotion in the province.

Provincial Minister Mian Aslam Iqbal presided over a Public-Private Dialogue for the promotion of tourism, held by the PBIT.

Representatives of the tourism department, government officials and stakeholders related to the tourism business participated in the dialogue. During the meeting, a joint working group consisting of tour operators, representatives of the hotel industry and government officials was formed for the promotion of tourism in the Province.

Mr Iqbal said that the promotion of tourism activities is crucial for the stability of the economy and there is immense potential for the promotion of tourism in Punjab but it is in need of time to set up a coherent strategy so that the tourism sector can be truly developed according to global standards.

He said different government agencies are working for tourism promotion but they lack continuous coordination and communication for timely exchange of information and formulation of a common action plan.

He urged the participants to develop an events calendar for timely devising of promotional strategies accordingly.

He also directed the tourism department to take effective measures for the promotion of tourism activities, while the government and other relevant departments will provide all possible assistance and cooperation in this regard.

He said that there is a need to focus on the promotion of tourism activities at the level of divisional headquarters across the province, while a comprehensive Lahore tourism package should be developed keeping in mind the places of the touristic, historical and religious importance of the city.

The representatives of the hotel industry also expressed their views and said that the hotel industry can play an important role in the promotion of tourism, but there is a need to review taxes, government policy and industry issues in this regard.

Officials said that Pakistan has more domestic tourists than international tourists, so we have to target them. Along with improving the infrastructure, we have to improve the quality of services.

Published in Dawn, August 25th, 2022