Faiza Tehseen 

The ‘Salam Pakistan’ mobile app launched by Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC) will help increase tourist footfall across the country. Talking about the development, Manager of PTDC tourism facilitation centres Mukhtar Ali told WealthPK that the app would provide a centralised platform to access comprehensive information regarding different tourist destinations, archaeological and heritage sites, itinerary services, residential and transportation facilities, medical aid, emergency help and other relevant services. “Different linguistic approaches available on the app will make it more user-friendly. It will also help integrate the local business in many ways,” he added. “Valuable data related to international tourists’ preferences, trends and behaviours will also be available on the platform. It will help make the tourism brand of Pakistan stronger and enhance its marketing approach,” he said. As soon as the app was operationalised, the tourism canvas of Pakistan would only be a click away across the world, he added.

“The app would have links to tourism-related departments at both the provincial and federal levels, which will be a great help for the users. All these factors will make the tourism sector sustainable.” Ali said National Technology Council (NTC) was working with PTDC to activate the app. “NTC is providing all the technical assistance to PTDC to launch the app,” he said. The platform contained loads of data related to archaeological places, their history, travel and accommodation facilities for the selected tourism destinations, booking details, nearby medical facilities and lot more, he added. He said the app would also showcase Pakistan’s tourism products. “All the stakeholders, companies, trade and business organisations will also be able to advertise them through the app.” Ali said that the app was an enduring effort aimed to revolutionise Pakistan’s tourism sector. “It will lead to a remarkable surge in domestic and foreign tourist inflow, establishing a new market of trade and services.”

Credit: INP-WealthPk