Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that there is great potential in tourism sector in Pakistan which needed to be capitalized for generating revenue, creating employment opportunities and to promote heritage.

He said, “Promoting domestic tourism, planning and feasibility on scientific grounds, preserving local heritage and environmental protection for tourist sites holds key importance.”

The prime minister was chairing a meeting of the National Coordination Committee on Tourism here on Monday.

Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Mahmood Khan, Special Assistant to PM and Chairman National Tourism Coordination Board Syed Zulfiqar Abbas Bukhari, Advisor to CM Punjab on Tourism Asif Mehmood, Secretary Cabinet, Chief Secretaries of Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Managing Director Pakistan Tourism, Development Corporation (PTDC), and senior officials attended the meeting. Chief Secretaries Sindh, Balochistan and Gilgit-Baltistan joined also joined the meeting via video link.

The prime minister was briefed regarding planning and feasibilities conducted for the development of new tourist sites in Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. The sites were located in Salt Range, Pothohar Plateau, Districts Swat and Murree and near Gwadar.

PM Imran Khan directed that bye-laws and regulations must be notified before starting physical development work on tourist sites to ensure cleanliness, environmental protection and prevent illegal land encroachment.

The meeting was told that anti-encroachment drive continues throughout the country.

The prime minister directed that anti-encroachment drive should continue without any discrimination as there was no one above law.