Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC) will hold a two-day conference on the theme “Rethinking Tourism” on September 26 and 27 to mark the World Tourism Day at Pakistan National Council of Arts (PNCA), Islamabad. The conference is part of activities to be started on September 26, including a photography competition, photography and painting exhibition, display of tourism stalls, heritage crafts exhibition, youth painting competition, and Islamabad sightseeing tour for students and youth at the PNCA. According to a statement received by WealthPK, the PTDC is organizing these events in collaboration with partner organizations including Serena Hotels, Hashoo Group of Hotels, Destination Hotels, PNCA, Punjab Tourism, Sustainable Tourism Foundation Pakistan (STFP) and College of Tourism and Hotel Management (COTHM).

Experts from the tourism industry will participate in five panel discussions to discuss topics including recovery of tourism after floods and widespread rains, removing bottlenecks to promote foreign tourism in Pakistan, issues and challenges of mountaineering and trekking tourism promotion in Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), and initiatives of provincial tourism departments for development and promotion of tourism in their respective areas. On September 27, the tourism conference will conclude with the presentation of summary of recommendations formed in various sessions of the conference and prize distribution ceremony for photographic and art competition.

Aftab Rana, Managing Director of PTDC, said in a statement that the purpose of all these activities is to highlight the importance of tourism for boosting economy, and create awareness among the general public, especially the young generation, about the role of tourism in making handsome contribution to the national GDP (gross domestic product), and promoting the soft image of the country. “We are celebrating this day in a country which is blessed with the most eye-catching natural sceneries, mighty mountain ranges, a variety of flora and fauna, coastal lines and diverse cultural heritage that needs to be maintained and promoted for future generations. We now need to rethink the future of tourism in Pakistan and our focus should be on the promotion of responsible, resilient and sustainable tourism to ensure the long-term benefits of this sector for the people of Pakistan,” he said.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan-WealthPk