ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister of Pakistan, Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi called on Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), Zurab Pololikashvili in Madrid, Spain on Wednesday, January 12, and congratulated him on his re-election for the next four-year term, i.e. 2022-2025.
Commending the productive role of UNWTO, the UN special agency, in promoting tourism and preserving the heritage, he hoped to benefit from the expertise and specialized knowledge of the UNWTO team in the development and digital transformation of Pakistan’s tourism sector.
Highlighting the diverse tourism potential of Pakistan including its historic and archeological sites as well as religious relics, the Foreign Minister stressed that the current government accorded high priority to promoting tourism and sustainable development while preserving the national heritage, social and cultural authenticity, and managing ecological impact.
In line with the vision of the Prime Minister to boost tourism, he informed the Secretary-General about the development of the National Tourism Policy.
The Secretary-General agreed that his team would actively engage in support of the realization of the policy.
The Foreign Minister also highlighted the liberal visa policy that the government has formulated to increase tourism and strengthen the economy.
He accepted the Secretary General´s invitation to attend the Joint Meeting of UNWTO Commission on Asia-Pacific (CAP) and Commission on South Asia Region (CSA) to be held in the Maldives from 2-5 July 2022.
The two sides also agreed to cooperate in the UNWTO activities at the UN Headquarters in New York.
