ISLAMABAD-The speakers at the tourism conference on Thursday said that after the completion of Integrated Tourism Zones (ITZs), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) will become a hub for tourism investment.
They said that the all three KP government’s ITZs including Ganool, Mankiyal and Madaklasht were important projects of the provincial government, which would bring revolutionary changes in the provincial tourism. An Investment Readiness Conference for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Integrated Tourism Zones (ITZs) was held at a local hotel here in Islamabad to mobilize private sector investments and to promote responsible tourism. The event was attended by a huge number of national level investors. Presidents of Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI), Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI), representatives of PTDC, KP-BOIT and other trade associations were present on the occasion.
The speakers said that after the completion of three ITZs, there was possibility of adding $10 billion to the provincial economy. Director General KP Culture and Tourism Authority (KP CTA) Muhammad Bakhtiar Khan in his keynote address, stated, “Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is well positioned as a preferred tourism destination in Pakistan. It has a considerable competitive advantage due to natural endowments and a culture of hospitality. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government is not only focusing on creating employment opportunities by promoting tourism activities but also making efforts to conserve the natural and cultural assets by promoting responsible tourism in the province.”
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He said that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Tourism Department was committed to its objective of making the province a preferred tourist destination. Efforts are being made to not only develop new tourist sites but also better manage the existing tourist areas, he added and said that it is important for us to prepare the sites for handling the tourist influx during peak season and to harness this opportunity to create economic opportunities for the communities, he expressed.
Chief guest Sardar Yasir Ilyas, former President ICCI appreciated the government of KP efforts in promoting sustainable tourism and urged the local investors to make investments in the tourism sector. He also explained steps taken by the Chamber and the government in facilitating investments in this sector. It is important to note that Upper Swat and Mansehra were impacted by the recent floods and there is thus a compelling case for disaster mitigation in order to conserve nature, and protect tourism assets and livelihoods of communities that rely on tourism receipts. Ali Asghar, Chief Economist KP, in his welcome address, briefed on sustainable tourism initiatives undertaken by the government, “The use of innovative approaches including, development planning for new and existing destinations, public-private partnerships, reduced carbon footprint and heritage preservation are at the center of project implementation.”
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The government is contributing extensively towards tourist facilitation, building the sector’s resilience against climate change and geophysical hazards and local economic development, he said. Ms. Kiran Afzal, Senior Private Sector Specialist, World Bank in her remarks congratulated the Department of Tourism and project team of the KITE project on achieving this milestone and mentioned that ITZs can especially help the tourism sector of KP in attracting investments which will lead to economic and social uplift of local communities. An exclusive discussion on the title ‘Real-estate and Tourism, A Public Private Partnership approach’ was part of the conference. The panel shed light on various aspects of sustainable tourism and opportunities for the local economy. The panelists appreciated the efforts of DoT, CTA and KITE project and recommended practical ways for the immediate implementation of these plans. The ITZs is a maiden concept in Pakistan which aims to open new destinations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to promote responsible tourism by suggesting diversity and quality in the tourism offering of these destinations and provide guidance for tourist planning and destination management activities.
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The ITZ feasibility and master plans were prepared by the KP’s Department of Tourism (DoT) through the World Bank sponsored Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Integrated Tourism Development (KITE) project with the support of international experts over a period of one year. The provincial authorities and other speakers shared the opportunities for private sector investments with the participants. As part of this exercise, customized plans for each destination have been prepared and will be used to invite investments from the private sector. It is expected that this approach of destination management will lead to improved visitor experience, better regulation of sites and mobilization of resources from the private sector for the identified investments.