TDCP planning food, souvenir stalls on Motorway, GT Road

LAHORE: The Tourism Development Corporation of Pakistan (TDCP) is planning to launch a project under which food stalls and souvenir shops will be set up along the Motorway and the GT Road.

The project will be carried out under public-private partnership. In the initial phase 50 such kiosks will be built.

The project is likely to be formally launched on Independence Day (August 14).

Besides promoting tourism, the project aims at alleviating poverty by generating employment opportunities, the TDCP managing director, Mian Waheeduddin, told The Express Tribune.

He said that the arrangements for the project had been almost finalized and very soon the TDCP would start advertising it.

He added that the TDCP was negotiating with some banks to provide low-markup loans to people willing to manage the kiosks. He said that the kiosks would be given on lease. Permission has been obtained from the Communication and Works (C&W) Department and the National Highway Authority (NHA) in this regard.

The kiosks would cost approximately Rs280,000 each. The kiosks are the first part of the TDCP’s franchising scheme, the MD said. These will be followed by the construction of hotels and motels to boost domestic tourism. “Owing to the prevailing security situation, we might not get a large number of foreign tourists for some time, therefore, our strategy at the point is to strengthen domestic tourism,” he said.

TDCP Bus Service Closed:

Mian Waheeduddin also told that the TDCP’s bus service ‘Aik Din Sadiyon Ka Safar’, launched on August 31, 2009, had been closed.

The bus service was launched to promote Lahore’s history and culture and boost tourism in the city. The bus took the tourists to 16 historical sites in the city. These included the Liberty Market, Ichhra, The Mall, Jail Road, Cantonment, Lahore Fort, the Badshahi Mosque, the Lahore Museum and Anarkali. The ticket was set at Rs100. The MD said that the people had not shown interest in the bus service and it was finally being closed after it remained suspended for several months. Another tourist bus service was available, he said, and people could use it by making advance reservations.

He further said that the federal Ministry of Tourism was considering a proposal to set up a tourist force. “The idea is to train a team that would serve both as tourist guides and protectors. The Ministry of Tourism has sought suggestions from the provincial governments on the issue and may finalise the proposal once the provinces have given their feedback on it,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 15^th, 2010.