Welcoming the government's timely judicious decision of allowing tourists from 175 countries to visit Pakistan with visa on arrival, SAARC CCI Senior Vice President (SVP) Iftikhar Ali Malik has said still government needs to take more concrete steps for marketing itself as a tourism destination.
Pakistan is endowed with world's best captivating beautiful landscapes and other bewitches attractions, he said in a statement on Friday. The tourism industry of Pakistan has the potential to turn the country into a hub of economic activity as the total contribution of the industry in the global economy is more than $7.58 trillion.
He said the direct contribution of tourism to Pakistan's total GDP was 2.8 percent, amounting to the value of $328.3 million which will hike up to US$9.5 billion by 2025.
"It is such an untapped potential of Pakistan which, if harnessed intelligently, can increase Pakistan's rank from 124 to double digits in terms of foreign tourists that visit the country, he added.
Malik said SAARC should focus on promoting intra-regional tourism by utilizing common resources, shared culture and common physical infrastructures.