PCJCCI underscores the need for introducing Chinese style “Rural Tourism” in Pakistan

Pakistan China Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCJCCI) have proposed to promote the Chinese model of “Rural Tourism” in Pakistan. PCJCCI President Zarak Khan floated this proposal at a meeting of PCJCCI Think Tank here Thursday. He said that Pakistan was known as a tourist paradise and was a special interest destination for world tourists. Pakistan’s main attractions include adventure tourism in the Northern Areas, cultural and archaeological tourism but there is a need to highlight our “Rural Tourism”, which will definitely prove to be a high score for our economy, he said adding that villages of northern areas of Pakistan are rich in culture and tourism resources, which can be upgraded by developing better accommodation, food, shopping markets and infrastructure facilities

The Think Tank observed that the income gap between farmers and urban workers had become a major problem in the country and the situation is going to be worse over the next few years with implementation of Uruguay Round’s decisions, which will open the cheap agricultural products to Pakistan from abroad. In order to maintain the standard of living in the rural areas of Pakistan, the government should develop a long-term strategy to promote rural tourism, the Think Tank proposed.

Speaking on this subject, PCJCCI Senior Vice President Moazam Ghurki said that Pakistan had a lot of attractions for the world tourists in the field of rural tourism, as the villages in the country are rich in traditions of arts, crafts and culture. The people of developed world have a craze for knowledge about traditional ways of life, arts and crafts and they can easily be attracted to visit rural Pakistan, he said and hoped that the development of rural tourism in Pakistan would also open up employment opportunities to the rural workers at their door-steps.

PCCCI Secretary General Salahuddin Hanif gave the examples of rural tourism to be practiced in various agricultural countries of the world. In Finland, it usually denotes rented cottages and catering services in the country, in Hungary it is about low-priced accommodation in villages and in Slovenia it implies tourism on family farms, with guests living with the farmer’s family or in a guesthouse and visiting the farm for meals and tours, he said.

He hoped that rural tourism in Pakistan would also prove to be extremely successful. We should provide a chance to the citizens of urban areas as well as foreigners from other countries to learn about our rural culture and heritage which will definitely benefit the national economy, he said.