BEIJING: Tourism cooperation among Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states will bring more opportunities for Pakistan‘s trade and tourism development, Deputy Chief of Mission of the Pakistan Embassy, Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said.
Speaking at the first SCO tourism ministerial meeting held in Wuhan, China, she said the SCO member states are connected in areas such as of history, culture and civilization. Sports and medical tourism are new areas in which Pakistan will seek cooperation with China and other countries.
The country also will seek cooperation in travel products related to traditional Pakistani festivals and galas to bring prosperity both to Pakistan and countries involved in exchanges, she added.
During the first tourism ministerial meeting between the SCO member countries, the delegates from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, India, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan introduced their countries’ tourism development and proposed deepening cooperation on tourism exchanges with other member states.
They agreed on the progress made in tourism cooperation between SCO member countries under the framework of the 2017-2018 action plan, initiated in 2017 to implement the SCO Tourism Cooperation Program inked by the heads of the member states during the 16th SCO Summit on June 24, 2016.
The meeting also approved an action plan that will serve as a guideline for tourism cooperation between SCO member states from 2019 to 2020. The joint action plan specifies cooperation among the national tourism administrations, as well as measures the member states could take to improve tourist experience and safety, develop tourist products and promote smart tourism.
The joint action plan will be submitted for official inking at the upcoming 18th SCO Summit hosted by the Chinese city of Qingdao. Member states say they are confident that the implementation of the plan will contribute to further tourism development in their respective countries.
