LAHORE – The Punjab government approved restoration, construction and maintenance of 170 tourist sites and trails across the province on Tuesday.
The Punjab government spokesperson said that the province’s first comprehensive tourism app “Magnificent Punjab” was developed and would be launched soon.
The app would offer virtual tours of 170 tourist sites along with features for travel planning, hotel bookings and access to services like Food Panda.
Additionally, a chatbot would provide useful tourism-related information.
The largest and most comprehensive tourism plan for Punjab has also been approved in principle. The initiative aimed to promote religious, historical, and archaeological tourism along with eco-tourism.
For a closer connection to ancient civilizations, tourist villages would be developed, and for the first time, tourism trails would be introduced in Punjab.
The tourism trails would include sites like Mall Road, Walled City of Lahore, Sikh heritage sites, and Mughal-era landmarks along the Grand Trunk (GT) Road. Salt Range, Bhati Gate, Taxali Gate, Gujranwala, and Eminabad will feature Sikh tourism trails while various tourist spots across cities would be developed as tourism clusters.
The Gandhara Civilization Trail would include Taxila Museum, Dharmarajika Stupa, Jaulian Monastery, Sirkap, and Garhi Fort. Additionally, a proposal was reviewed to restore historic gurdwaras and churches in Punjab. The living heritage site of Fort Kohna Qasim Bagh in Multan would be preserved as a symbol of the Indus Valley Civilization.
For pilgrims in Uch Sharif, a dedicated religious tourism trail would be developed while Changa Manga Forest Park and Lal Suhanra National Park would be enhanced for eco-tourism. To improve tourism governance, the Punjab Tourism & Heritage Authority Act 2025 would be introduced.
arious tourist sites across Lahore, Multan, Bahawalpur, Chakwal and Jhelum would be developed under this initiative.
The Punjab CM said, “We are laying the foundation for international tourism in Punjab. Our goal is to bring all tourist sites up to global standards. Taxila will be transformed into a full-fledged tourist destination, with a five-star hotel to be constructed. Our complete focus is on boosting tourism, making Punjab a major tourism hub,”.
