Islamabad: National Tourism Coordination Board Chairman (NTCB) Sayed Zulfikar Abbas Bukhari has asked private sector firms to assist the government in turning the country’s tourism sector into an international brand, a news source reported. He expressed his views on the matter at a consultative workshop organised by the Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC) in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
Bukhari invited the private sector to help PTDC in rebranding Pakistan tourism as well as stepping up to take the lead on tourism projects in the country. He announced that the PTDC would be floating tenders in the coming week for this purpose, and welcomed input from the firms on this front. He informed the attendees that the name for the brand was being finalised days to ensure its uniqueness among its competitors.
He emphasised the role of the private sector in promoting tourism and assisting the tourism department across the globe. He added that the role of the government was to create and compile business plans, and then hand them over to private firms for their implementation. The government cannot take on the role of private enterprises and run tourist attractions, he added; urging the private companies to be more active participants in this sector.
