LAHORE : Welcoming the government’s timely judicious
decision of allowing tourists from 175 countries to visit the country with visa on arrival, SAARC CCI Senior Vice President (SVP) Iftikhar Ali Malik Friday said still Pakistan needs to take more concrete steps for marketing itself as a tourism destination as it is endowed with world’s best captivating beautiful landscapes and other bewitches attractions.
In a press statement issued here Friday , he said the tourism industry of
Pakistan has the potential to turn the country into a hub of economic
activity as the total contribution of the industry in the global economy is more than $7.58 trillion.”He said the direct contribution of tourism to
Pakistan’s total GDP was 2.8 percent, amounting to the value of US$ 328.3 million which will hike up to US$9.5 billion by 2025. “It is such an
untapped potential of Pakistan which, if harnessed intelligently, can
increase Pakistan’s rank from 124 to double digits in terms of foreign
tourists that visit the country,” he added.
He further said Prime Minister Imran Khan has recently taken immense
interest in promoting tourism industry that will not only help boost the
economy but generate positive perceptions about the country at global
level; however, he said Pakistan and other South Asian countries should resolve outstanding issues among the member countries to boost tourism in the region.