Ahsan Iqbal calls for autonomous Pakistan Tourism Authority as Islamabad festival opens Friday
File photo: Boats at Rawal Lake's edge in Lake View Park, Islamabad, with the Margalla Hills in the background. (Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0)
ISLAMABAD: Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal has called for an autonomous Pakistan Tourism Authority to promote tourism through a proper institutional framework and better coordination among the provinces. Speaking at a meeting in Islamabad on Thursday with Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, he said the proposed body should include representation from all four provinces so that tourism can be advanced at the national level and Pakistan presented to the world as one unified destination.
Tourism in 2025-26, and the next step
The prime minister’s Coordinator on Tourism, Sardar Yasir Ilyas Khan, briefed the meeting on the steps taken to promote tourism and the achievements of 2025-26. Iqbal said Pakistan was blessed with natural beauty and abundant tourism resources, and that an autonomous authority was needed to make proper use of them and guide tourism activity across the country.
Three-day festival from Friday
The meeting was also told that the Pakistan Tourism, Sports and Family Festival 2026 will be held in Islamabad from November 6 to 8. Tourism and recreational activities will be organised at several locations across the capital, including Lake View Park. The festival has private-sector sponsorship, with sports, culture and entertainment lined up for families over the three days.
Why tourism matters
Tourism brings jobs and income to local communities and shapes how the country is seen abroad, experts say. The government argues that a single national authority would improve coordination between provinces, sharpen the promotion of tourist destinations and make it easier to attract private investment.
