Peshawar: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has finalised the draft of a new tourism law under which it plans to merge all tourism bodies and corporations into an apex tourism and culture authority, a news source reported.
The provincial government has devised the law in a bid to facilitate tourism development in the province. The proposed authority would not only be responsible for tourism promotion, but for regulation of tourism products, activities and service providers as well. It would also handle the maintenance efforts (which concern the preservation of historical sites) and control the tourism police force.
As per the newly drafted law, the KP government would form an 11-member board – with Chief Minister (CM) Mahmood Khan as its head. Others members would include tourism, environment and finance ministers, director general tourism, the provincial chief secretary and secretaries of the tourism and environment ministry.
Similarly, the CM would also appoint three tourism experts from the private sector to serve as board members for a period of up to three years. The board would be tasked with creating a five-year strategy for the tourism body of KP.
Meanwhile, the law drafted also envisions the formation of the KP Culture & Tourism Authority; which would be chaired by the provincial minister for tourism and a director general at the helm of its affairs.
In addition to merging all the tourism-related departments, the authority would control their assets; particularly those that come under the KP Tourism Corporation. The apex tourism authority would also facilitate:
Promotion, preservation, and revival of the heritage, culture, tradition and values of KP through festivals and other tourism-oriented projects
Formulation of guidelines and prescription of measures for sustainable tourism
Regulation of tourism products and services
Maintenance of heritage sites and preservation of wildlife, forests, and biodiversity within tourism zones
Development & maintenance of a special tourism police wing
Creation of a tourism fund
Registration and licensing of hotels, tour operators, and tourism activity providers to implement an operating code and standardise the tourism zones
Land-acquisition process for the development of tourism zones, hotels, skiing facilities, and other similar initiatives (board to decide on any project)
The tourism police would comprise of special police officers. These officers would facilitate the tourist, provide information related to destinations, impart legal assistance, provide security services, and manage the tourist transportation system. They would also have the power to arrest offenders.
The provincial government would allocate money to tourism fund. This money would be received through the development and operation grants apart from the revenue generated via renting of properties, fees charged for licensing and penalties, and donor gifts and grants.
The new law awards a penalty of PKR 5 million and six-month imprisonments in case of violation of its code related to the land use regulations defined for the tourism zones. The imprisonment would be non-bailable. For polluting the areas, the law grants a penalty of PKR 5 million and three-month jail time. For littering, people would have to pay PKR 0.5 million along with three-month jail time.
The KP government would also create a scrutiny committee for reviewing the performance of the tourism directorate’s employees. It would provide a surplus pool in the establishment department for the accommodation of the excess of these employees until their retirement. In case they continue to work at their existing posts or cadres, the government would ensure the availability of their perks and privileges.
