PIA, Hashoo Group enter into alliance for promoting tourism

LAHORE: The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) and Hashoo Group/ Destinations of the World (DOTW-Pakistan) have entered into a strategic alliance for jointly enhancing businesses and promoting tourism in Pakistan.

The scope of the partnership ranges from discounts for unitisation of products, tour packages, rent-a-car service, chauffer-driven pick-and-drop facility, special discounts on wedding packages and stays, air transportation, establishing 24/7 joint counters for customers convenience, redemption of loyalty cards.

The PIA and Hashoo Group will also explore the possibility of co-branding and alliance to upgrade, improve and operate the Airport Hotel Karachi.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) PIA Air Marshal Arshad Malik said the joint venture, in line with the vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan, is expected to promote domestic tourism. This venture will generate not only tourism in Pakistan but also improve the synergy between two large travel industry stakeholders in the country.

He said that through the partnership, they intended to provide convenience, luxury, comfort and affordable domestic tourism and event management functions in Pakistan for locals as well as people from outside the country who wish to travel to the beautiful destinations in Pakistan.

The CEO said that the PIA and Hashoo Group were natural partners, contributing together to improve the landscape of travel and tourism in Pakistan. According to the MoU, the air transportation, stay packages and fix departure packages would initially be offered for Gwadar, Bhurban, Muzaffarabad, Islamabad, Malam Jabba, Skardu, Gilgit, Chitral and also for Shandur Polo Festival, Bahawalpur, Multan and Mohenjo-daro.

Hashoo and Destinations of the World (DOTW) will provide all ground services for PIA passengers. The PIA will established around 30 high-end sales points within Hashoo Group’s hotels as 24hr support service for ticket buying, re-issuing, payment collection and all associated services being provided by PIA offices and would be displayed on PIA’s website with debit and credit cards usage facility.

The PIA will offer over the counter discounts to the loyalty card/ privilege holders of Hahsoo Group Hotels and vice versa PIA passengers and loyalty card holders will get special discounts on hotel bookings and restaurants.

Both organisations have planned to work collectively to develop packages with air fare discounts complimented with Hashoo’s ground related services, DOTW. The new products would be launched as ‘PIA Holidays’ powered by ‘Destination of the World’.

A special Umrah product will also be jointly introduced for the convenience of customers. New holiday products will be jointly launched by PIA and DOTW in collaboration with a leading commercial bank to make the holiday products more attractive, affordable and accessible for the customers with holiday loans as well as redemption of credit card points. The joint packages would also include destination weddings, visits to religious sites for Sikh and Buddhists among other tourism packages.

Travel agents will be able to book complete holiday packages on DOTW/ PIA system and will be jointly promoted. Federal Minister for Aviation, Ghulam Sarwar Khan, CEO PIA Air Marshal Arshad Malik, Chief Operating Officer PIA Air Cdr Jawad Zafar, Chief Commercial Officer PIA Ali Tahir Qasim, Chief Operating Officer Hashoo Group Haseeb Gardezi, General Manager Destinations of the World -Pakistan Tariq Bin Yousuf, Head of Corporate Communications PIA Abdullah Hafeez Khan and senior officials of PIA and Hashoo Group, along with leading trade partners and tourism fraternity were present at the signing ceremony.