New tourism sites to be developed with private investment

Sites are located in northern, central and southern Punjab

LAHORE:

Adviser to Chief Minister on Tourism Asif Mehmood has said several new tourism sites have been identified in eight different districts of Punjab, which would be developed under Public-Private Partnership (PPP).

Talking to The Express Tribune, Mehmood said these tourism sites were in northern, central and southern Punjab. He said the government would encourage investment from the private sector to develop these sites. He said a national coordination board has been established on the orders of Prime Minister Imran Khan which would review the weekly progress of Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. He said similarly in Punjab, weekly meetings would be held to review the progress on tourism development.

These meetings would be jointly chaired by him and CS Punjab and the first meeting in this regard was held on Friday. The meeting reviewed the implementation of decisions regarding the promotion of tourism in the province and the adaptive reuse of government rest houses. Speaking at the meeting, Asif Mehmood said that promotion of tourism and development of tourist sites are among the priorities of the government. He said that in line with the vision of the Prime Minister of Pakistan, the Punjab government is taking practical steps for the promotion of the tourism sector.

The Chief Secretary said that the promotion of tourism would not only boost economic activities but also provide employment opportunities to the locals. He directed the Secretary Tourism to complete the work of identifying new potential tourist destinations in the province as soon as possible and prepare a comprehensive plan for the development of the tourism sector along with a timeline. He also issued instructions regarding removal of encroachments, better cleanliness and provision of facilities at the existing tourist sites.

The tourism secretary informed the meeting that the Tourism Development Corporation of Punjab (TDCP) has initiated the process of leasing out 13 of its sites. The Planning and Development secretary briefed the participants about the implementation of the Punjab Tourism for Economic Growth project being executed in the province with the assistance of the World Bank.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 22^nd, 2020.