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GILGIT: The Alpine Club of Pakistan has said the country’s tourism industry has received a significant boost with its recent achievement at the New York Travel and Adventure Show 2025.
In a statement on Sunday, Alpine Club of Pakistan secretary Karrar Haideri said Pakistan won the Best Partner Pavilion Award at the New York show which was a “remarkable milestone that strengthens the country’s global image as one of the top travel destinations for tourists of the world”.
The statement said that visitors, particularly those associated with mountaineering, adventure tourism and religious tourism, showed great interest in Pakistan’s tourism potential at the event.
The increase in royalty fees for climbing and trekking expeditions was also discussed at during the show at the Pakistan Consulate in New York.
A delegation from Pakistan Association of Tour Operators (PATO), led by Senior Vice Chairman Nasir Hussain, expressed concern with a GB government delegation over the recent increase in royalty fees for climbing and trekking expeditions.
Alpine Club says the Best Partner Pavilion Award strengthened Pakistan’s image as one of the top tourist spots
They urged the government to review its decision.
The delegation said the move could discourage international mountaineers and trekkers besides impacting local porters and communities which depend on tourism for their livelihood in GB, home to the world’s highest peaks, including five with an altitude of over 8,000 metres.
The GB government delegation, including additional chief secretary Mushtaq Ahmad, held out an assurance that the matter would be reviewed.
New York travel show
The two-day show was held in New York on January 25 and 26.
GB Chief Minister Gulbar Khan, Pakistan Ambassador to US Rizwan Saeed Sheikh, GB Minister for Tourism Ghulam Muhammad, Minister for Planning and Development Raja Nasir Ali Khan, Consul General of Pakistan in New York Aamer Ahmed Atozai, Trade and Investment Counsellor in New York Adnan Mahmood Awan, Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC) representatives and officials from four provincial governments and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and GB tourism departments were present at the Pakistan Pavilion.
The PTDC and the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan had jointly set up the tourism pavilion in collaboration with the Consulate General of Pakistan, New York.
A total of 15 private Pakistani companies from the four provinces, AJK and GB tourism departments and PTDC had set up their booths at the pavilion, showcasing Pakistani products and tourists’ destinations in Pakistan.
This New York event is the largest US travel show and it is organised annually for travel lovers from across the world to come to the show to discover new destinations to make plans for their next trips and get help.
Published in Dawn, February 10th, 2025
