PM calls for using tourism as bridge to make world better place
ISLAMABAD, Sept 27 (APP): Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani has called for using tourism as a bridge to make the world a better place. “Let us pledge to engage with people and try to develop better understanding of each other’s cultures,” the Prime Minister said in his message on the occasion of World Tourism Day, being celebrated on September 27.  He said World Tourism Day draws our attention to the importance of tourism and its economic, political, cultural and social values.  The day increases the awareness among the people and renews the resolve of the world community to address the challenges contained in the Millennium Development Goals, the Prime Minister said.
He said the selection of this year’s theme “Tourism: linking cultures” under the United Nations World Tourism Organization is most appropriate as it underscores the need for promoting tolerance and understanding among individuals, communities and cultures.
 The Prime Minister said tourism provides people with an opportunity to travel to other parts of the world. This mutual interaction among people belonging to various cultures, civilizations and regions brings out commonalities and shared stakes in the collective wellbeing of humanity, he said.
Diversity is at heart of our world, the Prime Minister said and added respect for diversity and multiculturalism paves the way for tolerance, moderation and understanding.
 “We are living in a world which is torn apart by forces of radicalism, social strife, violence and chaos. It is about time the humanity rediscovered its shared values and celebrated human diversity with a view to making this world a better place for our posterity,” he said. 
 Prime Minister Gilani said it is well known that Pakistan offers a variety of attractions for every tourist in the world and possesses all the four seasons and are blessed with exotic natural scenic locations as well as colourful and diverse cultures from Khyber to Karachi.
He said there is no denying the fact that Pakistan’s tourism has suffered on account of incidents of terrorism but assured the world community that it is a fleeting phase and the government and people of Pakistan are determined to defeat these evil elements. The day is not far when Pakistan will again become an attractive tourist destination as it once was, the Prime Minister added.