Jakarta: The Embassy of Pakistan, Jakarta, in collaboration with the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP), held a webinar, in a hybrid format, on the Tourism Potential of Pakistan, in the Chancery today. The event was physically attended by over fifty travel agencies and hospitality sector representatives of Indonesia and virtually by tour operators from Pakistan. From the Indonesian side, the speakers included Mr. Mufti Hakam, Chairman Bilateral Committee of KADIN, Mr. Syukiri, Chairman ASATI, and Ms. Madeleine, Head of Public Relations of ASTINDO. From the Pakistan side, Mr. Sadruudin Hunzai Secretary-General, PATO, Malik Azmat Awan Vice President PATO, Mr. Asim Tiwana Director, Services TDAP, and Ms. Sadia, Deputy Director, PTDC delivered their presentations.
In his welcoming remarks, Ambassador Muhammad Hassan highlighted that despite excellent bilateral relations between Pakistan and Indonesia in political and economic realms, the tourism flow between the two countries was underwhelming. Highlighting the reasons for the lack of tourism between both countries, which included a lack of information about Pakistan in Indonesia and the absence of direct flights between the two countries, the ambassador stated that the Embassy was determined to work on these areas. He mentioned that the Embassy had recently got a guidebook published on Tourism Potential of Pakistan, in Bahasa and English languages, which would help enhance the awareness of the Indonesians about Pakistan and the treasure trove of tourism it holds.
The Pakistani speakers gave detailed briefings on Pakistan covering the thriving tourism potential of the country. They informed the audience about the immense potential that Pakistan holds for almost all fields related to tourism including, adventure tourism, Halal tourism, religious tourism, mountaineering, etc. They also mentioned the various initiatives of the government of Pakistan to promote tourism.
While expressing their keen interest in exploring Pakistan, the Indonesian speakers agreed on the need to enhance mutual collaboration in the field of tourism. They appreciated the holding of the webinar by the Embassy and acknowledged that events like this would bring more awareness amongst Indonesians about Pakistan’s untapped tourism potential.
The Embassy also distributed the guidebook on the tourism potential of Pakistan among the participants. The participants were served traditional Pakistani and Indonesian cuisine at the end.
