In countries with coastal belts, maritime tourism is a tremendous source of income. Given its importance, the Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC) is looking forward to developing an exclusive maritime tourism project in Gadani.
Gadani is among Balochistan’s most attractive sandy beaches, situated in the Hub Tehsil of Lasbella district. It is also a?house of?the third largest shipbreaking yard in the world. Aftab ur Rahman Rana, Managing Director of PTDC, told the media about the area, its development phase, and its economic value. ?
The PTDC will establish a model quality and eco-friendly maritime tourist resort on 174 hectares in Gadani. This project will set a precedent for other areas for development along the same lines. It might take 5-6 years to actually develop the whole project. The reason behind this little longer time is that it is in the initial phases and the feasibility study is on the way. After covering all the stages, it is also a part of the plan that this initiative will work under the public-private partnership.
He stated that the Gadani project was among?the future mega plans and exclusive activity of PTDC. In this regard, the governments of Sindh and Balochistan were working independently on other maritime tourism projects.
The start of inter-coastal and intra-coastal cruise services is also a great development for the provincial tourism departments. As tourism is a trillion-dollar future tourism segment, it is important that all coastal areas in the country must be developed, Aftab added.
It is worth mentioning that the development of maritime tourism in Pakistan also fulfils the 14th Sustainable Development Goal of the UN SDGs agenda. The 14th SDG focuses on ocean conservation and sustainable utilization of all available marine resources. The growth of this segment will not only empower coastal communities but will also contribute to GDP growth. The global maritime and coastal tourism sector is expected to be worth $2.56 trillion by 2021.
It is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.15% to $4.23 trillion by 2030. Pakistan must take proactive steps to develop its coastlines in accordance with international standards. It is important to provide adequate accommodation and recreational facilities along the country’s coastlines in order to attract foreign tourists.