In an effort to boost the country’s tourism industry, Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC) has targeted ten villages to be promoted as a model rural tourism destinations across the country.
Speaking about the development, PTDC’s managing director, Aftab ur Rehman Rana, said that these villages have also been added to the list of the best tourist destinations maintained by the United Nations World Tourism Organization.
Pakistan’s tourism industry has been rapidly expanding, and last month it jumped six places on the International Travel and Tourism Development Index, ranking 83rd, up from 89th back in 2019.
Aftab ur Rehman Rana further added that the United Nations World Tourism Organization has also launched the Global Best Tourism Village initiative to protect rural villages and the landscapes associated with them.
Earlier this month, he met with Andreas Ferrarese, the Ambassador of Italy to Pakistan, to discuss mutual cooperation in the field of tourism and to share the experience of Italy’s growing tourism industry.
He also emphasized the importance of rural tourism in strengthening the local, provincial, and national economies and putting the country’s rural areas on the path to development.
He added, “rural tourism encourages local communities to revive and preserve their traditions, crafts, traditional festivals, architecture, and other unique practices.”
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