Master plan ready to develop tourism zones

The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government has finalized the master plan and feasibility study for the establishment of four different Integrated Tourism Zones (ITZs) in a bid to develop tourism spots on international lines.

These ITZs include Ghanool Mansehra, Mankiyal Swat, Madaklasht Chitral, and Thandiyani Abbottabad. Master plan and feasibility study of ITZs were presented to Chief Minister Mahmood Khan in a meeting held here on Thursday.

The chief minister, in principle, agreed to the master plan which would soon be presented to World Bank for implementation.

The meeting was briefed about these ITZs and informed that Ghanool ITZ would be established on 480 Kanal, Mankiyal on 754 Kanal, Madaklasht on 540 Kanal whereas Thandyani ITZ would be established on 640 Kanal of land.

It was further informed that these ITZs were expected to create 16,000 direct and indirect job opportunities and to attract investment worth $2.8 billion.

It was decided in the meeting to present these ITZs projects in the upcoming Dubai Expo 2020 to attract foreign investment.

The major components of the ITZs project are roads, pathways, tracks, water supply, solid waste management, stable supply of electricity, and infrastructure development.

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Additional Chief Secretary Shahab Ali Shah, Principal Secretary to CM Amjad Ali Khan, and other relevant officers attended the meeting.

Talking on this occasion, the chief minister said that there was a huge potential for the promotion of tourism in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, and the provincial government, in line with the vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan was working under the well-planned strategy to develop the tourism sector as a fullfledged industry.

He termed the completion of master planning for the establishment of ITZs an important development and said that with the establishment of these ITZs, the tourism sector of the province would be developed on modern and lines.

Mahmood Khan stated that the government was not only committed but taking the result-oriented steps as well to create employment opportunities for local people and strengthen the provincial economy by promoting tourism activities and added that as a result of the government’s efforts around 2.7 million local and foreign tourists visited the hill stations of the province during the current season resulting in various business activities to the tune of Rs66 billion in the province.