Staff Report
ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari has urged the media to highlight Pakistan’s rich historical heritage, particularly the importance of the Indus and Gandhara civilizations to promote the country as a prime destination for spiritual exploration and cultural discovery.
The president, in his message on the World Tourism Day being observed on Friday (Sept 27), said,”Pakistan has enormous tourism potential as it is blessed with spectacular landscapes, majestic mountains and peaks, vast deserts, and beautiful coastlines.
“This part of the region has a rich historical heritage as well as has been home to the Indus and Gandhara civilizations, making Pakistan an attractive destination for spiritual exploration and cultural discovery. The true tourism potential of Pakistan needs to be highlighted and I urge the media to play its role positively in this regard.”
He said,”Today, on World Tourism Day 2024, we celebrate the theme ‘Tourism and Peace’.”Tourism, he added, served as a powerful bridge that “connects nations and promotes understanding among people from diverse cultures around the globe.
“As tourists explore different countries, they come across diverse cultures and traditions that help promote peace, harmony and goodwill worldwide.”
He said tourism was a vital source of revenue, and to unlock its full potential, “we must prioritize developing roads and tourism infrastructure. Enhancing essential facilities for tourists will encourage them to explore our breathtaking landscapes and rich cultural heritage, including religious sites.
“By creating a more accessible and welcoming environment, we can attract a larger number of tourists, significantly boosting our economy.”
The president reiterated that on the World Tourism Day 2024, “let us reaffirm our commitment to making Pakistan a global hub for tourism, where tourists from all over the world can experience not just our landscape, and historical and religious sites, but also the warm hospitality of our people. Through tourism, we can continue to build bridges of understanding, contributing to a more peaceful, interconnected world.”
Earlier, President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif have emphasized to harness enormous tourism potential of Pakistan for socio-economic development of the country.
In their separate messages on the World Tourism Day, they said Pakistan has a rich historical heritage and has been home to the Indus and Gandhara civilizations, making it an attractive destination for spiritual exploration and cultural discovery.
The President said Pakistan is blessed with spectacular landscapes, majestic mountains and peaks, vast deserts, and beautiful coastlines. He urged the media to play its role in highlighting the true tourism potential of Pakistan. In his message, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the government is promoting entrepreneurial initiatives in the tourism industry.
He said the government undertook major reforms by adopting a tourist-friendly visa regime under which tourists from 126 countries can obtain fast-track visas without fee. The Prime Minister expressed the confidence that this decision will play a key role in the promotion of the tourism sector and open new avenues for socioeconomic development in Pakistan.
