The National Tourism Coordination Board (NTCB) will submit a proposal for the reopening of tourism to the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) after Eidul Azha holidays.

According to media reports, a consultative meeting in this regard was held with all provincial and regional governments to discuss the appropriate time.

Adviser to Punjab Chief Minister (CM) on Tourism Asif Mehmood, Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC) Managing Director Syed Intikhab Alam and NTCB and PTDC board member Aftabur Rehman Rana were among those present on the occasion.

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The participants discussed various options on reopening but collectively agreed that any decision on this matter should be taken by the NCOC after monitoring and evaluating the pandemic situation.

Matters regarding safety and preparedness were discussed and the regional governments informed the NTCB chairman that tourism-related guidelines for operators, hotels, restaurants and tourist places were ready to operate.

The officials on both sides believed that the time was right for the tourism sector to restart as the COVID-19 curve had started flattening across the country.

The provincial and regional heads of tourism were told that necessary preparations and awareness should be undertaken so that opening of controlled tourism under standard operating procedures (SOPs) could be made possible after the final decision of NCOC.

Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) Sayed Zulfi Abbas Bukhari appreciated the support extended by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government to tourism businesses in terms of renewal of licences and registration fees.

He urged other provincial governments to consider similar support initiatives for tourism businesses that had suffered during the prevailing situation.