PTI minister vows to boost tourism

Ghulam Sarwar Khan says efforts will be made to bring airports on a par with global standards

ISLAMABAD: In order to facilitate local and foreign tourists, Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan has vowed to upgrade airports located in the northern parts of the country.

He said the government would make all-out efforts to upgrade the airports on a par with international standards in order to give a boost to tourism in the country.

“Allocation of frequencies to international airlines can be made conditional to encourage their landing at airports in the northern areas of Pakistan,” said Sarwar at an award ceremony for the Tourism Promotion and Regional Integration (TPRI) licence on Monday.

The TPRI licence, launched under the National Aviation Policy 2019, is aimed at ensuring facilitation for the ease of doing business, reduction in the cost of doing business and creating affordable tourism opportunities for investors.

The minister underlined the need for protecting and maintaining heritage sites and exploring new tourist resorts in order to attract huge investment in the tourism sector. The industry had immense potential in the shape of high peaks, snow-covered mountains, gushing waterfalls and lakes, fairy meadows and the Gandhara strip, he pointed out.

Sarwar said the government was fully cognisant of the country’s potential, especially in the tourism sector, and would achieve all the targets given by Prime Minister Imran Khan in various areas.

Aviation Secretary and Civil Aviation Authority Director General Hassan Nasir Jamy said the aviation ministry had formulated the National Aviation Policy 2019 last year to boost the domestic aviation industry, besides attracting private investment for the improvement of the national carrier’s financial health.

Jamy praised all the stakeholders who contributed to introducing the aviation policy, adding that foreign organisations and magazines were recognising the true potential of Pakistan’s tourism and ranking it as a top tourist destination that would eventually project positive image of the country abroad.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 7^th, 2020.

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