LAHORE: Efforts are being made to evolve comprehensive Punjab Tourism Policy with an approach towards development of tourism. This was stated by Punjab Secretary for Youth Affairs, Sports, Archaeology and Tourism Department Muhammad Amir Jan while addressing a seminar held on Punjab Tourism Policy on Saturday. He said all stakeholders should give their recommendations so that things could be improved in the larger interest of the tourism sector. In the seminar, Punjab Secretary for Tourism Muhammad Amir Jan, Punjab Secretary Planning and Development Iftikhar Ali Sahoo, TDCP Managing Director Ahmer Mallick, travel agents and tourist guides, experts and other officials were also present. Participants of the seminar gave number of suggestions for bringing improvement in the tourism. Speaking on the occasion, Punjab Secretary PD Iftikhar Ali Sahoo said that tourism industry was a promising and ever growing field around the world. He said that sharing of ideas and experiences always help ensuring betterment. The TDCP MD gave a detailed presentation on ‘Punjab Tourism Policy’, which disclosed that the policy has four main pillars which, includes promotion, awareness, branding and marketing. The policy would help in restructuring of government departments that were regulating tourism, uplift of infrastructure, and private sector would be encouraged in tourism. It was further briefed in the presentation that tourism potential of Punjab includes religious tourism, adventure and desert tourism, cultural and heritage tourism, eco tourism, urban and recreational tourism. The policy was being devised to ensure state of the art tourist services across Punjab, focus on heritage tourism and to fast track Punjab economic growth. Other speakers on the occasion said that Punjab had all elements of becoming a destination of choice for tourists owing to its historical monuments, cultural diversity and hospitable people. Through development and management of well-articulated policies, product projection, marketing strategies and public-private partnerships, the tourism sector in Punjab would contribute to the over-all socio-economic development of Pakistan. Published in Daily Times, January 14th 2018.