BAGH: President Dr Arif Alvi launched commercial helicopter flight operations of Kashmir Air in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) as part of an effort to promote tourism in region. Addressing launching ceremony of Kashmir Air at Bagh he said AJK was blessed with immense natural beauty and tourism potential and private sector should come forward to develop AJK’s tourism sector to realise its fullest potential.

Kashmir Air is a private company that is going to start commercial helicopter flights to AJK and northern areas of Pakistan for transportation of tourists. During his day-long stay in AJK, President visited newly established high-end private school and flagship campus of a healthcare Information Technology company at Bagh. He was briefed on establishment of a hospital at Abbaspur.

President urged AJK government to promote sustainable and environment-friendly tourism, besides evolving tourism-friendly policies for facilitating private-sector investment. He said that tourism had become mainstay of many developing economies in world and was considered a prime source for earning foreign exchange, creating jobs, stimulating growth and reducing economic disparities.

He called for adopting an integrated approach to tourism planning in AJK, adding that a careful assessment of economic, social and environmental impacts of tourism on region should be conducted, besides establishing linkages between stakeholders, businesses, resources and tourism activities.

President Alvi said that Pakistan possessed enormous human resources in form of youth and women, which with relevant skills and training could become an asset to national economy in future. 

He urged need to provide technical and vocational skills and training to AJK’s youth in tourism and hospitality sector to provide gainful employment to youth, particularly women, in their own region. He said that adoption of IT tools and artificial intelligence could help in development and promotion of tourism sector in AJK to market AJK’s tourism assets as well as provide information, online booking facilities and tourism packages to domestic and foreign tourists. Reiterating his call for making investments in IT sector, he said that advancements in field of IT had opened up new avenues for women’s empowerment, as they could offer their services online worldwide using latest ICT tools. 

He highlighted that women should be encouraged to enter into workforce in all sectors, including tourism sector, by providing them safe and secure working environment. He urged private sector to make contributions to society through their Corporate Sector Responsibility initiatives by developing partnerships among industry, academia and government. During his visit, he was also briefed on establishment of a hospital in Abbaspur, which was providing quality healthcare services to people of AJK.

Published in The Daily National Courier, October, 26 2022

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