Daily Times

Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC) will organize different sports activities like rock climbing and paragliding in the federal capital to mark the International Tourism Day falling on Monday.

“Rock climbing is underway for the last three days in Margalla Hills while paragliding is planned for Monday at Shalimar Cricket Stadium, Islamabad,” PTDC Managing Director Aftab Rana told APP on Sunday.

He said a webinar had been arranged lately to sensitize the international tourism market players about the tourism potential of Pakistan.

He said a series of training for tour operators and tourists’ guides was also on the cards and expected to launch by next month end. About the steps being taken by the present government for tourism promotion, he said a customize brand for Pakistan’s tourism was on the anvil and likely to be launched in next month.

Prime Minister Imran Khan wanted its launch at the earliest due to start of Dubai Expo where the country could attract lucrative investment by promoting its tourism brand, he added. To a query, he said the launch of Brand Pakistan was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The PTDC MD said the major focus was now on strengthening domestic tourism that got overwhelming response during the last couple of months.

He said around 1.3 million tourists went to the Gilgit-Baltistan during the current tourism season, while 1.5 million visited various tourism spots located in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. This was resulting into major impact on the national economy, he added.

He said the government had recently started flight operations for the Giligt Baltistan airport from various areas including Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad and others.

The increase in tourist influx to the northern areas did not only generate massive economic activity, but also create a large number of job opportunities, Aftab Rana added.