Islamabad (Web Desk): World Tourism Day is being observed today (Friday) across the globe including Pakistan.
The day aims at recognizing the power of travel and tourism in connecting cultures, promoting global peace, and boosting economies worldwide.
This year, the theme of the day is “Tourism and Peace”.
President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif have emphasized to harness enormous tourism potential of Pakistan for socio-economic development of the country.
In their separate messages on the World Tourism Day, they said Pakistan has a rich historical heritage and has been home to the Indus and Gandhara civilizations, making it an attractive destination for spiritual exploration and cultural discovery.
President Asif Ali Zardari has urged the media to highlight Pakistan’s rich historical heritage, particularly the importance of the Indus and Gandhara civilizations to promote the country as a prime destination for spiritual exploration and cultural discovery.
The president said that Pakistan has enormous tourism potential as it is blessed with spectacular landscapes, majestic mountains and peaks, vast deserts, and beautiful coastlines.
“This part of the region has a rich historical heritage as well as has been home to the Indus and Gandhara civilizations, making Pakistan an attractive destination for spiritual exploration and cultural discovery. The true tourism potential of Pakistan needs to be highlighted and I urge the media to play its role positively in this regard,” President Zardi said.
In his message, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that the government is promoting entrepreneurial initiatives in the tourism industry.
He said the government undertook major reforms by adopting a tourist-friendly visa regime under which tourists from 126 countries can obtain fast-track visas without fee.
The prime minister expressed the confidence that this decision will play a key role in the promotion of the tourism sector and open new avenues for socioeconomic development in Pakistan.