PR No.: PR

The International Workshop on Pakistan Tourism organized by the Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC) in collaboration with United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) held from 29-30 January 2018 in Islamabad, attracted over 250 participants from the public and private sectors, as well as academic and research institutions in the tourism industry of Pakistan. A feature of the workshop was a roundtable discussion on 30 January that was attended by more than 30 high-level delegates representing Pakistan Tourism.

The workshop was specifically designed to review the current quality and standard of the country’s tourism product, both existing and potential, in terms of its diversity (natural, cultural, and recreational), which positively enhanced the collaboration between UNWTO and PTDC.

Mr. Chaudhry Abdul Ghafoor, Managing Director, PTDC, drew attention in his welcome remarks to the appropriateness of the conference in helping to raise the profile of Pakistan tourism as a viable socio-economic sector that could contribute substantially to the national economy.   He stressed that the organising of the international tourism event was a great opportunity to showcase   Pakistan’s tourism assets, and strengthen institutional relations between UNWTO and Pakistan.  

Mr. Harry Hwang, Deputy Director of the Regional Programme for Asia and the Pacific, UNWTO thanked the PTDC for their efforts to promote the destination despite the many odds faced due to perceptions that overlooked the unique and attractive products of the country. He praised PTDC for their marketing efforts to find appropriate taglines reflecting the diverse natural and cultural heritages and warm hospitality of the people. These measures, he said, should help to attract more international tourists than the current tourist arrivals.

Mr. George Drakopoulos, UNWTO Expert, presented the recommendations for promoting tourism in Pakistan and admitted that although the destination possessed   the necessary attractions, there was a need to improve its image through corrective measures. Apart from marketing and image building strategies the recommendations called for strengthening of institutional relations and for greater visibility through participation of the destination in international events and tourism exhibitions.

Mr. Chaudhry Abdul Ghafoor concluded that the target of forming a National Tourism Authority in Pakistan was a priority to enable the institution to make the necessary decisions for the promotion of tourism in the country.