ISLAMABAD: The Prime Minister’s Youth Programme (PMYP) has signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) with Destinations, an innovative digital tourism platform, to engage young people in high-potential industries.

The signing ceremony, held at the Prime Minister’s Office, was chaired by Rana Mashhood Ahmad Khan, Chairman of the Prime Minister’s Youth Programme (PMYP).

This collaboration marks the beginning of a new era in leveraging technology while accelerating the digital transformation of Pakistan’s tourism and creator economies.

Founded in 2015, Destinations is a leading media and digital innovation platform focused on sustainable tourism, youth entrepreneurship, and integrating Pakistan into the global halal economy. From its award-winning travel content to its AI-powered educational tools, Destinations is committed to advancing Pakistan’s position on the world stage through digital innovation and storytelling.

The collaboration focuses on a shared vision of youth empowerment, job creation, economic development, and enhancing Pakistan’s global brand. By leveraging Destinations’ cutting-edge AI platform, PMYP aims to unlock new opportunities for youth, helping them integrate into digital economies through training, technology, and entrepreneurship. This partnership will extend into education and entrepreneurship, creating further opportunities in fields such as sustainable tourism, the halal economy, and content creation.

This partnership is grounded in shared goals of youth empowerment, job creation, economic development, and enhancing Pakistan’s tourism brand. It focuses on four key pillars.

Through this partnership, PMYP and Destinations are committed to ensuring local service providers, small businesses, tour guides, artisans, and youth across Pakistan gain access to the tools, training, and visibility needed to thrive.

By integrating these stakeholders into a shared digital ecosystem, the partnership aims to foster entrepreneurship and sustainable economic participation in the digital tourism economy.

As part of this collaboration, PMYP and Destinations are focusing on two key areas to prepare youth for global opportunities.

The collaboration will offer students financial literacy and hands-on training to create sustainable, halal-compliant businesses. These could include eco-friendly guesthouses, sustainable cafés, and pop-up businesses, all designed to meet World Bank’s sustainable tourism standards.

Asma Chishty, CEO of Destinations, commended the initiative. “Destinations turns discovery into love, and love into action — preparing Pakistan’s youth to lead in climate resilience and halal innovation worldwide,” she said.

Published in Dawn, September 3rd, 2025