SAN FRANCISCO: Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States Masood Khan has said “Silicon Valley can make a huge contribution to Pakistan’s tourism and digitalization of tourism industry.”
While addressing a special session, “Exploring Pakistan’s Tourism Treasures: From Mountains to Metropolises,” during Annual Open Silicon Valley Forum 2023 in San Francisco, Masood Khan said “With digitalization of necessary information including bookings, lodging, transportation and availability of accurate information, the tourism sector of Pakistan would witness a transformative change.”
“Our joint ventures would help tapping the existing potential of tourism. Your equity participation would pay you off well,” he continued.
He ambassador thanked the organizers for the session which he expected to “induce people to visit Pakistan and get a first-hand experience of witnessing pristine beauty of the Country.”
“When you go to Pakistan, you for three reasons. First is the unique geography of the country. It has the tallest mountains, scorching deserts and a captivating coastline.”
“Second, Pakistanis are loving, caring and welcoming people. We are known for our hospitality and taking care of our guests.” Third, the land has a history of 5000 BC with some areas still carrying relics of ancient civilizations.
“It started with paganism relegated to Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam. So it has been a melting pot and it is the signature of civilization,” he said. “The country has everything to offer to every kind of tourist,” he said.
Highlighting various types of tourism in the country, including business, adventure, religious, ecotourism, water sports and paragliding, Masood Khan said that the Country has a strong domestic tourism industry and tens of millions of tourists visits various locations. We are trying to upgrade our infrastructure so that we could absorb international tourists in the country, he said.
The ambassador noted that the ecosystem was fragile and required careful handling to avert environmental degradation.
“Some of these locations are pristine and we are proud of them. We want to show them off to the tourists,” he said.
