Staff Reporter
Islamabad
Prime Minister Imran Khan constituted the National Coordination Committee on Tourism to “steer the country towards becoming the fastest growing tourism destination”, read a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office on Wednesday.
According to the notification, the committee will seek to raise the competitiveness of the tourism industry and “maximize utilization of Pakistan’s natural, cultural, historical, archeological, religious and geographical tourist assets for employment creation, poverty reduction, sustained economic growth, social inclusion and quality of life improvement”.
Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development Zulfi Bukhari will be the committee’s convener.
He will head the committee whose members comprise of chief secretaries of the ministries of industry and production, religious affairs, aviation, interior, communication, defence and climate change.
The NCCT has also been formed for employment creation, poverty reduction, sustained economic growth, social inclusion, quality of life improvement, the notification added.
The deputy governor of the State Bank of Pakistan, managing director of the Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation, chairman Evacuee Trust Property Board and all chief secretaries or additional chief secretaries are members of the committee.
The NCCT will perform following functions:
I) Oversee and review implementation of National Tourism Strategy and alignment/integration of Provincial /Regional Policies/actions to National Tourism Strategy/Action Plan; II) Implementation of Prime Minister’s Directives on Tourism and the progress thereof; III) Geo-mapping and profiling of all tourist spots/attractions/destinations, tourism & hospitality business, products, services providers etc.; IV) Identification of barriers to tourism development with concrete recommendation/directions for their removal to create an enabling environment for tourism sector to operate competitively and ensure implementation; V) Identify policy and legislative impediments and develop and recommend measure to overcome them; VI) Devise effective regulatory and implementation mechanism of National Minimum Standards while ensuring its monitoring and coordination with all stake holders for its strict compliance; VII) Promote tourism investment through PPP, SME and access to capital etc. and oversee availability of International Standard Feasibilities of viable projects; VIII) Identify and oversee implementation of initiatives for improvement of tourism; IX) Devise and oversee strategy to encourage affordable domestic tourism and identify viable options to ensure the growth of domestic tourism in a systemic manner; X) To identify and suggest measures to promote formal training to improve skill set of human resource related and working in the industry’; XI) To make required decisions and issue instructions to the relevant Ministries/Divisions/Departments/ Stakeholders and organizations with timeline and monitor progress/implementation; XII) Hold regular fortnightly meetings to review progress on the deliverables; and XIII) Act as focal point for inter-provincial, inter-ministerial, inter-departmental and inter-agency coordination to resolve implementation issues with respect to tourism sector development.
