By Muhammad Asad Tahir Bhawana ISLAMABAD, April 21 (INP-WealthPK): Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC) is launching 20 publications in foreign languages to help boost the tourism sector. The PTDC’s publications will be available in different foreign languages, including Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Arabic, Spanish, French and German, for the promotion of Pakistan as a tourist destination in the key international tourism markets. The tourism sector of Pakistan has great potential to contribute to the national gross domestic product as Pakistan boasts a diversity of cultures and a large number of scenic spots that attract tourists in droves each year from across the world. According to PTDC managing director Aftabur Rehman Rana, the corporation is keen to utilise all its resources to boost tourism by facilitating both the local and foreign visitors. In this regard, the government has established the National Tourism Coordination Board (NTCB), which is tasked with coordinating provincial, national and international organisations to promote the tourism sector. The NTCB is also to facilitate provinces in developing a framework on quality and standard hospitality. The NTCB has already constituted working groups to develop strategies and plans in their specific areas with a view to bosting tourism. Working groups on heritage and archaeology tourism, ecotourism, tourism branding and marketing, regulatory and policy reforms and religious tourism have been formed. The government is also endeavouring to give the tourism sector the status of an industry to be managed by the private sector and facilitated by the government. Pakistan’s tourism sector possesses all the hallmarks of an industry, including beaches, mountains, vast deserts, oldest civilisations, cultural diversity and scenic locations spanning the four provinces of Punjab, Balochistan, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the Gilgit-Baltistan region. Tourism has a lot on offer for any country as it helps grow gross domestic product, increases the foreign exchange reserves and revenues of governments, creates jobs and increases the people’s incomes. It is time Pakistan exploited the full potential of its tourism sector by easing the visa policy and putting in place a quality transport system for tourists’ carriage. A robust tourism infrastructure needs to be developed around the tourist sites; a well-trained force of guides should be deployed around the tourist spots to facilitate the foreigners. The government should use the social media effectively to present a positive image of the country to the outside world, that Pakistan has effectively stamped out the menace of terrorism and a durable peace has returned to the country, and conditions are ideal for foreigners to visit one of the choicest places on earth.