Elaborate SOPs needed to reopen tourism

Experts say gradual reopening crucial to saving the sector from ruination

ISLAMABAD: With the government keen on reopening tourism - a sector which it hopes will not only bring in much-needed foreign exchange but also spur the local economy and provide jobs to thousands - officials said that new investments and gradual reopening of the sector with strict guidelines could play a crucial role in reviving the sector.

This was stated by speakers linked with the tourism sector, donor agencies and government departments during an online dialogue on the ‘tourism sector recovery - building back better’. The sector had been organized by the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) on Tuesday.

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Board of Investment (BOI) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Hassan Daud said that despite the challenges, opportunities still exist. He added that they are receiving a lot of interest from abroad to invest in tourism sites near Dir.

Such investments, he said, can materialise quickly if we also improve our tourism-related infrastructure, the K-PBOI chief said.

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“We also need to invest in boosting the capacity of human resources in the tourism sector,” Daud said, adding that training centres can be set up for the tourism sector on public-private partnership. Besides, he said, we should quickly help raise integrated tourism zones in all provinces.

Even when the tourism sector reopens, he said government support is required to make information around ‘safe tourism’. Government bodies such as the Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC) need to collaborate closely with the World Health Organization (WHO) to understand and disseminate SOPs for after-coronavirus tourism.

World Bank Group Senior Private Sector Specialist Kiran Afzal, while highlighting the financial needs of the tourism sector, emphasised that all government bodies need to come together to help the tourism sector recover. She added that lessons can be learnt from other countries and multilateral support bodies.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 24^th, 2020.