Faiza Tehseen

Pakistan’s true potential in tourism remains untapped as lack of funding at the government level is causing inadequate infrastructure and poor marketing and tourist facilities. “This challenge can be addressed successfully through the public-private partnership mode,” emphasises Aftabur Rehman Rana, Managing Director of Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC).

Talking to WealthPK, he said: “Tourism is a vast field. There are different segments in which huge investments are required to develop facilities for tourists. For example, you need to have a very good infrastructure in your country, including roads, airports, roadside facilities, boarding and lodging facilities, theme parks and resorts. So, making all these facilities available to tourists requires huge funding, which the government cannot arrange on its own.” Aftab said that most countries promoted public-private partnerships to attract investments in the tourism sector. “In this mode, the government usually offers certain facilities to investors like land, utilities, waiver in certain taxes to motivate the private investors. So, the private sector brings in investment to develop infrastructure in a sustainable manner.” The PTDC managing director said the last five years had seen more investments coming in the tourism and hospitality sector from the private sector. He said many new boarding and lodging facilities were coming up with the investment from the private sector.

“In Islamabad only, around 13 five-star hotel projects are being constructed with the private investment. In the northern areas like Skardu, Hunza, Gilgit, and other places, we have seen quite a large number of new hotels built by private entrepreneurs. The trend is encouraging, and the government is also facilitating the provision of them with facilities and incentives.” Aftab said: “In future, there will be more investments coming in the tourism and hospitality sector from the private investors.” However, he said investors lacked the incentive to make the tourist spots more attractive. “We have not been able to develop the theme resorts or the theme parks. Though theme parks are being developed in Karachi, Lahore, and there are certain projects in the pipeline in Islamabad, these investments are not at the scale they should be.” Aftab said: “The government should encourage private investments in the theme parks.” He said that in the recent past, PTDC privatised its motels and handed over certain properties to the provincial governments.

“Some properties in Gilgit-Baltistan have been given to the private sector for their upgradation and improving facilities.” He said PTDC was also negotiating with provincial tourism departments to attract more private investment.  Aftab said in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the government was developing four new tourist resorts under the ITZ (Integrated Tourist Zones) project, for which the whole market planning had been done. “Now, the government is going to offer these spots to private investors to develop high-quality tourist resorts.” Rahat Karim Baig, Deputy Director of the Tourism Department, Baltistan, told WealthPK that the government alone couldn’t uplift the tourism sector. “It is important to engage the private sector to bring in investment, expertise and innovation. Public-private partnerships can prove to be a game-changer for Pakistan’s tourism industry. By leveraging private sector investment and expertise, the government can upgrade tourist infrastructure, enhance visitor experiences and promote Pakistan’s tourism offerings globally.”

Credit: INP-WealthPk