Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) on Friday urged Pakistani diplomats to play their role in promoting tourism in Pakistan

Khalid Iqbal Malik, the ICCI president, said that tourism created plenty of jobs, alleviated poverty and contributed significantly to the economic development of a country. “Pakistan has places in Northern Areas, Azad Kashmir, Lahore, Mohenjodaro and Thattha and in many other areas that are ranked at the top in the world for tourism. However, most foreigners are unaware of Pakistan’s tourism potential. Consequently, the country has not yet become a tourist destination,” he said.

He said that tourism had emerged as a leading industry in the world with a global economic contribution of $ 7.6 trillion and global tourism revenue of $ 1.26 trillion in 2016. “Tourism is contributing 10% of global GDP and 6% of the world’s total exports, but unfortunately no serious effort has been made in Pakistan so far to exploit its huge potential for the economic development of the country,” he said.

Published in Daily Times, July 1^st , 2017.