ISLAMABAD, Sep 8: A French group will build a network of hotels in all major cities of Pakistan, taking a start from a five-star hotel in Karachi. This was disclosed by Accor Group president Gerard Pelisson at a press conference after meeting President Pervez Musharraf and Privatisation Minister Zahid Hamid here on Friday.

He said the group had identified 10 sites for its ibis chain of three-star hotels and would like to go very fast in creating their presence in Pakistan.

He said the Accor Group will bring in its five-star hotel chain Sofitel and four-star hotel chain of Novotel in Pakistan. He said two separate agreements with Pakistani companies had already been signed for building the five-star hotel and 10 ibis three-star hotels.

He said the focus would not be on building five-star hotels but affordable yet comfortable three-star hotels and added that the group planned to build up to 25 hotels in Pakistan over the next 10 years.

He said Pakistan had a great potential in the tourism sector and the group had decided to enter into long-term partnership with Pakistani investors. "We are here for ever and not for few years," he remarked.