LAHORE, Sept 27: Federal Tourism Minister Nilofar Bakhtiar has said the government has formulated a new tourism policy to build bridges, fill gaps and boost trade and investment with the countries in the world.

She was talking to reporters after welcoming passengers from Delhi at Wagah on Wednesday.

She said she came all the way to Wagah to welcome passengers from India to reiterate that Pakistan wanted to promote friendship and fraternity with neighbouring countries. She said Pakistan and India could promote tourism and trade in the region by adopting friendly policies.

Explaining the new tourism policy, Ms Bakhtiar said extension of tourist visa from 15 days to 30 days and religious-tourism visa from five to 15 days was the key feature of the policy. Saying that the new tourism policy would be implemented within the next two months, she hoped that it would help increase the flow of tourists between India and Pakistan.

She said peoples of Pakistan and India wanted that both the countries should create more and more opportunities for them for cross-border movement.

Ms Bakhtiar said the government had declared 2007 as a “Visit Pakistan Year”. During the next year, she said the government would organise different programmes to promote tourism. She said the government had also developed a marketing strategy to promote its different tourist attractions in eight countries.

She said the government had also decided to issue “Visa on Arrival” to delegates from 24 selected countries at international airports of the country. The minister said the government wanted to bring Pakistan on the World Tourism Map.

Later, speaking at a World Tourism Day conference on Tourism and Resort Development in Pakistan at a local hotel, Ms Bakhtiar said tourism was a tool to make bridges, fill gaps and promote trade and investment. For this reason, she said the world was giving top priority to tourism but Pakistan was lagging far behind in this sector. She said the population living in Northern Areas was dependent on tourism.

As the Pakistan is celebrating a “Visit Pakistan Year” next year, she said Pakistan would also host the Organisation of Islamic Countries’ (OIC’s) ministerial conference. She stressed that everybody in the country should contribute to develop Pakistan’s soft image in the world.

Punjab Tourism Minister Mian Aslam Iqbal said Pakistan was full of tourist attractions but they had never been promoted at home and abroad. He also stressed the need to promote domestic tourism.

He also urged the federal tourism minister to devise a policy to promote private tour operators as well as offer soft loans to the educated youth so that they could become part of the tourism industry.

Mr Iqbal said the Punjab government in collaboration with the World Bank was renovating all the 13 gates of the Walled City. He said a decision to this effect was taken in the last cabinet meeting. He said the government would also remove all encroachments near the 13 gates of the Walled City.

Tourism Development Corporation Punjab managing director Irfan Ali said the corporation had launched many initiatives, including adventure, school and women tourism, in the country. He said the corporation was also conducting research and developing print and electronic information material and sending it to target groups in the world. He said the TDCP was also promoting tourism in South Punjab.

Punjab chief minister’s adviser Mowahid Husain and parliamentary secretary for tourism Lubna Tariq also spoke.

Earlier, the TDCP organised a seminar in connection with the World Tourism Day at Alhamra. The corporation invited students from different government schools in the rural areas to provide them with an opportunity to learn about tourism and tourist attractions in Punjab.

Different lectures were delivered on tourism at the seminar and two documentaries were shown. A quiz programme was also organised.