Romina advocates ecotourism promotion

Islamabad:Coordinator to the Prime Minister on Climate Change Romina Khurshid Alam on Friday called for promoting ecotourism to enhance environmental conservation and provide socioeconomic advantages to local communities.

In a message for World Tourism Day, she highlighted Pakistan’s growing global recognition as an attractive destination for eco-friendly travel thanks to its diverse landscapes, rich biodiversity, and commitment to promotion of sustainable tourism practices.

World Tourism Day is celebrated ever year worldwide on September 27 to honour tourism's significance and the global social, cultural and economic effects it yields. The theme for World Tourism Day this year is ‘Tourism and Peace’.

“Tourism brings people together and people-to-people contact grow it leads to more peaceful, coherence and connectivity amongst people. Sustainable and environmental-friendly tourism help transform communities by creating green jobs, fostering inclusion and strengthening local economies socially and economically,” Ms Alam said.

She said as a part of promoting environmentally-sustainable tourism in the country, the government’s initiatives to plant trees all over the country including one million trees' plantation on the Margalla Hills and setting up camping villages in various northern areas aimed at achieving sustainable tourism development goals.

The aide to PM said with its diverse landscapes, Pakistan was increasingly recognised as a top preferred destination for local and international tourists, who visited different parts of the country to experience unique natural beauty, resource-rich biodiversity, snow-capped mountains and serene valleys, spanning landscapes, desert lands, fairy meadows and meandering rivers.