2-day Gilgit-Baltistan festival kick-starts at LCCI

Lahore, May 07, 2015 (PPI-OT): Two-day Gilgit-Baltistan kick-started here on Thursday at the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry to showcase diverse cultural, heritage and tourism attractions of the Northern Areas of Pakistan.

The Festival was jointly inaugurated by Provincial Minister for Tourism, Culture and Youth Affairs of Punjab Rana Mashood Ahmad Khan and LCCI President Ijaz A. Mumtaz, LCCI Senior Vice President Mian
Nouman Kabeer, Vice President Syed Mehmood Ghaznavi and Sectary Tourism and Culture Gilgit-Baltistan Syed Hadi also spoke on the occasion.

The festival highlights flora and fauna of the Gilgit-Baltistan Stalls of Gemstones, Woodcraft, agricultural products, tourism monuments, climbing wall, food court and live music from the mountains were a
great attraction.

Addressing the participants of the conference, the Provincial Minister for for Tourism Culture and Youth Affairs of Punjab Rana Mashood Ahmad Khan said that the Punjab government was giving a special focus towards the up gradation of tourism sites and for the promotion of tourism related activities. He said that all the segments of the economy were being given equal importance therefore a comprehensive strategy has been adopted to promote tourism.

The Minister said that since the law and order situation was improving therefore the flow of international tourists would also get a considerable momentum in coming months. He said that Pakistan is one of the few countries in the world that have great tourist destinations. He appreciated the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry to organize two-day festival to bring to the limelight the potential of Gilgit-Baltistan.

The LCCI President Ijaz A. Mumtaz in his address said that lack of proper infrastructure was hitting hard some of the finest tourists sites therefore the government would have to divert its attention towards these areas. He said that in today’s world when all types of technology is available, there must not be any problems for international tourists to get easy access to all areas. He said that Gilgit-Baltistan has huge potential but it could not be tapped so far only because of unavailability of good road network.
The LCCI Senior Vice President Mian Nouman Kabir and Vice President Syed Mehmood Ghaznavi said that tourism is a billion dollar industry and has played a very vital role in the economic well being many of countries that have no other industry. They said that Pakistan could earn billions of dollars by highlighting its tourism potential in the outer world. They said that the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry would continue to work for the promotion of this segment of the economy.

They said that Pakistani Ambassadors working abroad should be tasked to contact tourism related organizations for highlighting the tourists sites in Pakistan and also said that the 2-day Gilgit-Baltistan would help promote sustainable tourism, culture and heritage of Gilgit-Baltistan.

For more information, contact:
Shahid Khalil
Information Department
Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI)
11-Shahrah-e-Aiwan-e-Tijarat,
Lahore -54000, Pakistan
Tel: +92-42-111-222-499
Fax: +92-42-6368854