A delegation of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Archeology Department headed by Senior Minister Atif Khan currently on a visit to Thailand held talks with Thai Secretary Foreign Affairs and leading monks for promotion of religious tourism, said an official handout issued here on Tuesday.

Director Archeology Abdul Samad Khan while briefing the host Monks about Buddhist holy places in KP said that government has taken steps for promotion of the religious tourism.

He informed that all the holy places of Buddhist and archeological sites in the province were being preserved and added that KP Archaeology and Tourism Department under the vision of KP Senior Minister Atif Khan has started taking cogent measures to tape the potential sites for promoting religious tourism.

The introduction of the new visa policy by the Pakistan's federal government is a step towards this effect, he said adding under the new visa regime, nationals of 150 countries have been granted the facility of online visa and citizens of 50 countries would be given visa on arrival. The issuance of NOC for foreign tourists visiting Pakistan has also been waived off.

On the occasion, the delegates from the host country hailed the new visa policy of the Pakistan Government as a step forward to promote religious tourism. It was informed on the occasion that a 100 member monk's delegation would visit KP in March next year for performing religious rituals.

The monks assured to attend the conference to be held with respect to Religious tourism in Pakistan.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2019