Islamabad: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government plans to establish 11 integrated tourism zones (ITZs) in the province and the Punjab government would replicate the model to set up eight such zones in the province, a news source reported.
KP Tourism Minister Atif Khan briefed Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan on the matter during a meeting in Islamabad. Federal Information Minister Fawad Chaudhary, Special Assistant on Overseas Pakistanis Zufiqar Bukhari, Board of Investment Chairman Haroon Sharif, and Punjab Tourism Minister Yasir Humayun were all present at the occasion.
The officials briefed the premier on the initiatives being introduced to promote tourism in the two provinces. They said that the ITZs would not only develop the tourism potential of the country but would also ensure preservation of natural beauty, biodiversity and forests.
The prime minister was also apprised of the draft pertaining to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Tourism Act-2019. KP Tourism Minister Atif Khan said that the new policy would help address coordination problems and overcome low performance capacity of organisations.
He said that the private sector would play a leading role in development of tourism while the government would provide an enabling environment and act as a facilitator.
In response, PM Imran directed the officials concerned to launch a website that would identify and provide information about all tourist zones being set up in the country in a bid to facilitate both local and foreign tourists.
