Prime Minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir Sardar Tanveer Ilyas Khan has said that tourism will be promoted as an industry but there can be no compromise on forest conservation and the protection of the environment in the region.
Talking to journalists in Islamabad on Thursday, he Prime Miniser, while highlighting the purpose of creating a Tourism Authority (TA), said that the Authority was being created to provide better facilities to investors through one-window operation. Promotion of tourism, he said, would not only help to enhance the region’s economy but also provide dignified employment opportunities to the unemployed and educated youth. “The government is reviewing the Tourism Corridor project to further improve it”, he added.
He said the government will provide full protection to the local population and investors, at tourist spots. He said that the government has stepped-up its efforts to provide facilities and easy access to visitors at tourist destinations. He said that besides introducing new tourist spots, tourist and recreational places would be built around the rivers and lakes in the state to further boost tourism. The AJK Prime Minister, however, maintained that and any project affecting the wildlife and natural environment will not be allowed.
The prime minister said that the officials of the tourism department have been instructed to provide good accommodation, organic foods, adventure tourism, water sports, safari parks, horse riding for the interest of the tourists coming to Azad Kashmir.
