Daily Times

As one of the pillars of CPEC, Gwadar Port provides a series of convenience measures for investors and paving the way of tourism for socio-economic development in Baluchistan, says a report published by Gwadar Pro on Saturday.

The report quoting Chinese scholar Prof. Cheng Xizhong, stated that continuous development of CPEC, especially the construction of Gwadar Port, has brought new hope to Balochistan, which has been poor and backward for a long time and has also created conditions for the development of tourism and cultural industry in the province.

According to the report, at present, Gwadar Port has great potential in sewage treatment, power generation, entrepot trade of oil and gas, storage, and development of export bonded areas.

More than 30 investment companies from China so far have invested RMB 3 billion. The new airport and other infrastructure projects are under construction. In the future, the infrastructure level of Gwadar Port will reach a height. In terms of investment, in addition to the preferential measures of the federal government, the Balochistan government has also provided 23 years of tax exemption, 100% exemption of equipment import duties at the construction and operation stages of the project, 99 years of land lease, flexible visa management measures, supporting infrastructure and security measures.

At present, Balochistan has two special economic zones under development, namely Bostan special economic zone and Hub special economic zone. In the economic zones, the government has provided a series of incentive policies, including the preferential supply of natural gas, electric power and other infrastructure, friendly visa policy for enterprises entering the zones, one-time reduction and exemption of import tariff of machinery and equipment.

It is worth mentioning that the security situation in Balochistan has improved to a certain extent due to the government’s effective measures. If Balochistan continues to make efforts to fundamentally improve its security situation, it will greatly attract international tourists and tourism and cultural industry will be greatly developed.

Prof. Cheng noted that the Balochistan government has launched seven projects to promote tourism in coastal areas of the province and work on these projects is in progress. This was disclosed at a meeting held on Thursday presided over by Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan Alyani.

The meeting discussed the promotion of tourism, culture and archeology and development schemes at tourist sites in Balochistan. A master plan has been prepared for the promotion of tourism and work on eco-tourism resorts is underway at seven places in the coastal areas of the province. As per the master plan, model beach parks will be established at Gadani, Kund Malir, Ormara, Pasni and Gwadar to provide maximum facilities to tourists. The master plan for the development of tourism facilities in Ziarat and Shaban valleys has also been prepared. In Balochistan, tourism offices will be set up at divisional levels, and tourism information centers will be opened along major highways. The Balochistan government believes that the promotion of tourism, arts and culture will highlight the positive image of Balochistan.