‘KP has vast tourism potential’

PEHAWAR: Special Assistant to Chief Minister on Tourism Abdul Munim Khan said on Friday that the incumbent provincial government had taken a number of steps to boost tourism sector.
“Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is blessed with abundant natural resources, which make the province a preferred destination for both the domestic and international tourists,” he told the first-ever Pakistan Travel Mart 2017, which will conclude in Karachi on Sunday.
A press release said that Sports, Tourism, Archaeology, Museums, Culture and Youth Affairs Secretary Muhammad Tariq and Deputy Secretary Tauseef Khalid were also present on the occasion.
The release said the Tourism Corporation Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (TCKP) has set up “KP Pavilion” in the Pakistan Travel Mart 2017, where cultural and traditional items, handicrafts, Kalash culture and costumes, documentaries, brochures, pamphlets and posters on heritage and history, tourist and scenic spots are on display.
Besides Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, Balochistan, Sindh, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir are also participating in the event.
Sindh Minister for Culture Syed Sardar Ali Shah inaugurated the Pakistan Travel Mart 2017 and visited the KP Pavilion and stalls.
The visitors enjoyed traditional and folk music, cultural items, traditional cuisines and a lot of more at the KP Pavilion.
Abdul Munim Khan recounted the development projects carried out by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-led provincial government in tourism sector and said that now peace had been restored and the local and foreign tourists were coming in large numbers to visit the scenic places and heritage sites.
On the first day, a conference was also held on tourism where Secretary Tourism Muhammad Tariq talked about the initiatives taken by the provincial government and his department for the promotion of tourism.
He said the department had taken a number of steps for the revival of tourism to attract foreign and domestic tourists to the province.
The official discussed the installation of camping pods in the tourist resorts in Swat and Abbottabad, introduction of tourist policing system, beatification and infrastructure development projects.
“Within the midst of breath-taking valleys, overlooked by towering mountain peaks, visitors have the opportunity to enjoy nature and visit sites of global significance for Buddhists, Sikhs and Muslims in KP,” the secretary told the conference.