Imran is Pakistan’s first ‘pro-tourism’ PM, asserts Fawad

ISLAMABAD: Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry on Wednesday praised Prime Minister Imran Khan for introducing tourism-friendly polices and said that he is the first “pro-tourism” leader in the history of Pakistan.

Addressing the Pakistan Tourism Summit, Chaudhry said that “Pakistan is a beautiful country which is misunderstood in many parts [of the world] and the reason is that irregular conflict we faced for three decades”.

“Pakistan has done what no other nation has done. We came out of this irregular conflict and for the first time in the history of Pakistan, we have a leader who is an environmentalist, pro-tourism, pro-culture and has a long-term vision,” he added.

The minister also spoke on the role media can play in projecting a positive image of Pakistan and the contribution it can make in boosting the tourism industry.

“We have a strong idea in changing the visa policy regime, now it’s time to present this idea. We need media support to present this idea. It will take time but Pakistan has a great future and great leadership,” he said.

Under the new tourism policy, residents from 175 countries will be able to apply for online visas. As per the new visa policy, e-visa facility will initially be provided to five countries including Turkey, China, Malaysia, the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates. The citizens of these countries will be able to apply for Pakistani visa via email against a minimum fee of US $8.

The policy will be extended to an additional 170 countries eventually. The number of countries for the business visa has been increased from 48 to 96.