Lahore International Tourism Expo-2014 is kicked off

Lahore: Parliamentary Secretary on Information & Culture Rana Muhammad Arshad has said that Pakistan is rich in landscape, culture, heritage and the tourism profile of Punjab is more diversified than other provinces as it has natural conservation areas, recreational and cultural places, vast lakes, historic places of religious significance and above all the unique city of Lahore.

Addressing an awareness seminar with regard to Lahore International Tourism Expo-2014, Rana Muhammad Arshad said that the present government had arranged a number of programmes for tourists last year and even recognized such common persons as tonga riders who had never been given importance in the past and gave cash prizes to them for beautifully decorating their buggies. He said that a 3-day jeep rally was arranged in Qila Darawar in Cholistan near Bahawalpur in February which attracted a large number of people all over the country.He said that there is a need to promote love for Pakistan and strive to make it a safer and more prosperous country.

Chairman Hilal-e-Ahmer Pakistan Dr. Saeed Elahi said that though tourism sector has been delegated to the provinces after 18^th amendment but there are a number of issues which are dealt only by the federal government with the foreign countries. He said that Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif is deeply interested in tourism and he as Chief Minister of Punjab undertook the widening of Rawalpindi to Murree Road at international standard, besides construction of Lal Suhanra Park in Cholistan as well as number of measures for promotion of tourism. He said that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is still paying due attention to the promotion of tourism sector.

He said that 100 such places have been identified from Gawadar to Gilgit and there is a need to remove encroachments. He said that a special task force has been set up at Prime Minister Secretariat Islamabad for the construction of new resorts at historical places and dealing with security matters concerning tourists. He said that task force will monitor these projects with the collaboration of provincial government.

Managing director TDCP Syed Habib ur Rehman Gilani also addressed the seminar and said that installation work of chair lift at Fort Monroe will be started in a few weeks while open dekker buses will start plying in Lahore city within a few months for the benefit of local and foreign visitors. He said that these buses will provide facility of open sky ride to the visitors. Prominent cartoonist Javed Iqbal proposed that besides historical places of Lahore, double dekker should also be run on metro bus corridor.

MPA Waheed Gull, Skills Marketing Manager Shafia Fazal Syed, Chairman PATO Amjad Ayub, Tourism consultants Ali Imam, Munir Ahmed, social worker Sheerin Masood and Chief Engineer PARCO Refinery Muhammad Javed also addressed the seminar.