Faiza Tehseen

A centralised body is direly needed at the federal level to help promote the tourism sector globally.

The real potential of Pakistan’s tourism sector is untapped. The main cause is a lack of coordination among the provinces after the tourism sector was devolved to the federating units under the 18th Constitutional Amendment. “Provinces are managing tourism activities falling in their jurisdictions. However, they have their own policy, which mars coordination among them,” said Dawood Tareen, focal person of the tourism department of Balochistan. Talking to WealthPK, he said promotion of tourism sites at the global level was important to make the tourism sector more sustainable.

However, he said such a feast could not be accomplished by the provinces alone. Tareen said establishment of a centralised body at the federal level was necessary. Such a body should be set up in consultation with the federating units to integrate all the tourism promotion-related activities planned by them. “A centralised body will prove more effective in guiding both domestic and foreign tourists.”    Tareen said the provinces had overcame the issues regarding availability of funds, train staff and other hiccups, and were now doing well to promote tourism activities in their respective jurisdictions. Meanwhile, talking to WealthPK, Rahat Karim Baig, deputy director of the Baltistan section of the tourism department of Gilgit-Baltistan, said the tourism sector in Pakistan was largely decentralised.

“Every province is overseeing its own tourism promotion and development activities. Independent policy of every province is creating inconsistency in the international outreach, infrastructure development and marketing.” Baig stressed that for an improved and well-established tourism sector in Pakistan, focus must be on establishing a centralised body. Talking to WealthPK, Mukhtar Ali, manager of tourist facilitation centres of Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation, said that a centralised body at the federal level was necessary to develop the tourism sector on a sustainable basis. “Such a body will make the tourism sector more profitable and sustainable.”

Credit: INP-WealthPk