09/11/2025
Pakistan Britain Business Council and West London Chamber of Commerce Join Hands to Boost UK–Pakistan Tourism
The Pakistan Britain Business Council (PBBC) and the West London Chamber of Commerce jointly hosted a vibrant networking reception in London to honour the visiting delegation from the Pakistan Travel Mart (PTM).
The event aimed to strengthen partnerships between Pakistan and the United Kingdom in tourism, trade, and investment while highlighting Pakistan’s growing potential as an emerging destination for both travel and business.
The evening brought together influential business leaders, travel professionals, and entrepreneurs from both countries.
Representatives from the West London Chamber of Commerce — which has over 2,200 members and connects around 8,500 businesses — expressed keen interest in developing trade collaborations with Pakistan. Local business owners from sectors such as travel, real estate, investment, and consultancy shared their experiences and explored opportunities to connect with their counterparts from Pakistan.
Ali Hamdani, Founder and CEO of Pakistan Travel Mart (PTM), emphasized the link between travel and trade, noting that “when people travel, they do trade.” He spoke about the importance of building an ecosystem that connects tourism and commerce, encouraging attendees to promote this vision. Hamdani also highlighted the positive developments in Pakistan’s aviation sector, such as British Airways resuming flights to the country, and invited UK businesses to participate in the upcoming Pakistan Travel Mart 2025 — to be held from April 3–5 at the Karachi Expo Centre and April 7–8 in Lahore. He reaffirmed PTM’s commitment to forming long-term partnerships with the West London Chamber of Commerce.
Dr. Zulfi Hussain MBE praised the Chamber’s warm reception and said that “Pakistan is open for opportunities,” calling for deeper business ties and joint ventures.
Dreamworld Resort CEO, Irfan Hilal, spoke about the importance of connecting people and adapting to the future of business by engaging with Generation Z and the rise of Artificial Intelligence (Gen AI).
Tourism Development Expert, Adeeba Khalid Jadoon, gave a detailed presentation on Pakistan Travel Mart’s initiatives, including PTM Podcasts, the PTM Roadshow, and the Sustainable Destination Forum. She noted that the last PTM featured 48 speakers from 11 countries, establishing it as a truly global event. Adeeba also shared highlights from previous editions and previewed upcoming features designed to attract even wider participation in 2025.
Rashid Iqbal, Chief Executive Officer and Trade Champion at PBBC, expressed his excitement over Pakistan’s growing reputation, noting that the country was recently ranked among the top destinations by British backpackers.
Rashid spoke passionately about Pakistan’s tourism diversity — from the scenic beauty of Islamabad and the cultural heart of Lahore to the bustling energy of Karachi — and emphasised that Pakistan is now safer, more open, and positioning itself as an economic hub by 2040. “Seeing is believing,” he said, encouraging the audience to witness Pakistan’s transformation firsthand by attending PTM 2025.
The host, West London Chamber of Commerce, praised the collaboration and expressed enthusiasm for expanding future events to include more businesses and sectors. They also extended their formal support for PBBC’s initiatives and reaffirmed their commitment to building stronger UK–Pakistan partnerships.
The event concluded with a shared vision — that tourism can be the bridge to greater trade, mutual understanding, and long-term collaboration between Pakistan and the UK.
