Agha Hunain Abbas Khan：Working Together for Better Sustainable..

Working Together for Better Sustainable Tourism Development

On 18 August, the 2022 Asian Mountain Tourism Promotion Conference on Amity, Sincerity, Mutual Benefit, Inclusiveness, Cooperation, and Sharing —— Jointly Building a New Future for Asian Mountain Tourism was officially launched in Guiyang, Guizhou province. Agha Hunain Abbas Khan, the Third Secretary of Embassy of Pakistan in China,made a presentation at the Asian Mountain Tourism Recommendation.

The following is the full text of the presentation.

First of all, I would like to thank the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the People' s Republic of China, the People’s Government of Guizhou Province, and the International Mountain Tourism Alliance for convening this conference to give us a better platform for exchange and mutual understanding, which is crucial for the recovery and development of tourism after the epidemic.

Ladies and gentlemen! Our country is rich in cultural heritage, diversity of landscapes and food. Against the background of ancient culture and economic development, Pakistan's tourism industry has also revealed its unique charm. Five of the 14 highest peaks in the world are in Pakistan, making mountain tourism an important form of our tourism industry. To show visitors the mountain resources of Pakistan more vividly, I'm going to give you a brief play-by-play of what our country can offer you in terms of travel experiences, and I hope you'll travel to Pakistan yourself to gain a more tangible mountain experience.

In order to be able to realize the full potential of our tourism industry, the Government of Pakistan has launched a tourism initiative to enhance cooperation in tourism promotion with neighboring governments and agencies. Now our efforts have paid off with the growth of Pakistan's tourism economy and state subsidies in mountain tourism, attracting more than 1,000 climbers to Pakistan last month alone to experience mountain sports. After COVID-19 pandemic continues to de-escalate, we hope to welcome more travelers to Pakistan as a premium mountain tourism destination.

Ladies and gentlemen! China is a significant contributor to global travel. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, China had more than 180 million outbound tourist trips, and this figure was over 200 million in previous projections. I believe that as relations between the two countries continue to deepen and civil exchanges expand, the interaction between the two countries will further increase. The two governments have now signed a memorandum of understanding, which will provide a new blueprint for the joint development of both countries, leading to better tourism cooperation. The year 2023 has been designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Sustainable Mountain Development, and Pakistan will have a series of events to deepen tourism promotion and cooperation between the two countries, especially in the area of mountain tourism.

Health is a constant area of focus for the Pakistani government. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Chinese government has worked with Pakistan to increase the number of people vaccinated in Pakistan, including those who are elderly, sick, and most vulnerable. Last year, Pakistan established a dedicated center to control the spread of the epidemic, which has kept it under control. 2023 is all about how we can benefit the local population.

As a model of development in Pakistan, the concept of sustainable development has been practiced in many countries, and Pakistan also promotes and implements sustainable development policies by restricting hunting to protect local populations, i.e. 80% of hunting must follow the national agenda and guidelines. Next, Pakistan will focus more on sustainable development in the field of tourism development, combating climate change and helping people to live better in the 21st century.

Our embassy also has a dedicated Chinese language tourism website that can make the Chinese people more aware of Pakistan's tourism industry and thus more interested in visiting Pakistan. We hope that you will spread and share this website among your own circle of friends. Tourism promotion is one of our priorities and Chinese travelers are very fond of traveling, so we would love to promote Pakistan tourism in China as well. Once China's epidemic policy changes, more Chinese tourists will be able to visit Pakistan. And of course, we are working with other countries. We have also taken further facilitation measures in terms of visas. I believe that with joint efforts, Pakistan's tourism industry will grow sustainably.