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LAHORE: “Pakistan and Republic of the Maldives have friendly and historic relations, and the two countries always cherish this relationship”.
Farzana Zahir, the Maldives’ High Commissioner to Pakistan, expressed these sentiments at a Lahore Chamber interactive session on “Tourism Opportunities in Maldives.”
The meeting was also attended by LCCI President Mian Nauman Kabir, Senior Vice-President Mian Rehman Aziz Chan, and Vice-President Haris Ateeq, as well as former president of the LCCI and Honorary Consul of the Maldives Yawar Irfan Khan and members of the Lahore Chamber’s Executive Committee.
The Maldives, according to the HC, is a fantastic leisure and tourist destination. She claims that 85 percent of hotel workers in the Maldives are vaccinated.
According to Farzana Zahir, one million tourists visited the Maldives last year, but only 5,000 Pakistani tourists did so, implying that the two countries should collaborate to boost tourism and trade volumes.
Sri Lankan Airlines has been operating flights between the two countries so far, she said, and direct flights will be launched soon.
Mian Nauman Kabir, President of the Lahore Chamber of Commerce, said that the Maldives is known throughout the world for its tourism. Due to its islands, beautiful blue seas, sparkling sandy beaches, magnificent cliffs, and a variety of water sports, the Maldives attracts tourists from all over the world. The Maldives is rich in natural beauty and incredible beauty.
He stated that the Maldives is blessed with incredible natural beauty and splendor. The Maldives, with a population of around half a million people spread across 185 islands, has a rich culture and tradition.
In the Maldives, he said, tourism has been a key driver of growth and poverty reduction. It has also been Maldives’ largest source of foreign exchange and revenue, with Pakistani officials stressing the importance of the country’s relations with the Maldives, which are based on friendship, mutual respect, and shared interests. Both countries are SAARC members and South Asian Free Trade Agreement signatories (SAFTA). Despite the fact that mutual trade between Pakistan and the Maldives is very limited, it can be increased by strengthening ties between the two countries’ private sectors.
According to Mian Nauman Kabir, the Maldives provides a plethora of trade and investment opportunities for Pakistani businessmen and industrialists. In terms of our mutual trade ties, I believe we need to learn a lot more about each other’s potential areas for expanding trade. According to trade data released by the State Bank of Pakistan, the total volume of trade between the two countries in 2020-21 was only US $6.14 million. Whether the trade balance is heavily in Pakistan’s favor or not, there is a lot of room for significantly increasing trade volume.
In 2020, Maldives’ global imports were estimated to be around 1.2 billion dollars, while Pakistan’s exports to Maldives were estimated to be around 6 million dollars. Pakistan can provide a variety of goods and services to the Maldives, including pharmaceuticals, rice, furniture, surgical instruments, halal meat, vegetables, and fruits, and so on.
Mian Rehman Aziz Chan, SVP of the Lahore Chamber, stated that tourism is one of Pakistan’s top priorities. We would like to use the Maldives’ experience to help Pakistan modernize its tourism sector. We believe that joint ventures in relevant tourism fields should be pursued, as this would be a good way to strengthen bilateral relations.
The Maldives is an Islamic country, according to LCCI Vice-President Haris Ateeq, and Pakistan can export Halal food there, which has a lot of promise.
–Article by Business Recorder
