CPEC will improve tourism services in the country

PTDC MD expects improvement in public information, convenience in transportation

ISLAMABAD: The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) will improve the quality of tourism services between the two countries with lasting impacts on socio-economic development, said Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC) Managing Director Abdul Ghafoor.

Talking to the media, he said that this would improve the services of public information, provide convenience in transportation, security protection and other services benefiting the public.

He said it would strengthen social and economic development cooperation between Pakistan and China. Ghafoor urged that efforts should be made to carry out vocational training in Pakistan and to rely on higher education resources in Pakistan.

Tourism is one of the important sectors for the growth of the country’s economy. He said that in 2017, the tourism industry continued to make a real difference to the lives of millions of people by driving growth, creating jobs, reducing poverty and fostering development and tolerance.

The tourism industry has contributed $7.6 trillion to the global economy, which is 10.2% of the global GDP and generated 292 million jobs in 2016, the PTDC MD remarked.

He expressed hope that with the start of CPEC, tourism within the country would increase in the years ahead making it a very attractive hub for investments in the tourism and hotel business.

He said that local demand for traveling within Pakistan was increasing every year, with an expected number of over 50 million domestic tourists forecast by the PTDC, which shows a lot of potential in the industry.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 5^th, 2018.

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