ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Sri Lanka are considering linking their coastal destinations in a bid to boost marine tourism, Pakistani state broadcaster reported on Tuesday.

The understanding was reached at a meeting between Pakistan’s Maritime Minister Junaid Anwar Chaudhry and Sri Lankan Transport, Highways and Urban Development Minister Bimal Niroshan Rathnayake in Islamabad.

Rathnayake said cooperation between Pakistan and Sri Lanka could increase tourism, regional visitor traffic and promote shared marine resources, the Radio Pakistan broadcaster reported.

“Chaudhry highlighted that marine industries, including fisheries and tourism, play a crucial role in supporting livelihoods, especially in developing countries,” the report read.

“He proposed initiatives such as joint marine tourism routes or packages linking key coastal destinations in both countries, along with enhanced ferry services, cultural exchanges and coordinated marketing campaigns.”

During the meeting, Rathnayake highlighted that Sri Lanka’s well-developed marine tourism infrastructure could support the growth of Pakistan’s emerging coastal tourism market, according to Radio Pakistan.

The development comes months after Islamabad granted its first-ever ferry service license to an international operator, Sea Keepers, for routes connecting Pakistan with Iran and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, the Pakistani maritime affairs ministry said.

Chaudhry had hailed the move as a “historic step,” aligned with Pakistan’s National Maritime Policy, and emphasized the opportunity this license creates for boosting regional connectivity, tourism and economic activity via sea routes.

In recent years, Pakistan has been making efforts to capitalize on its geostrategic location to boost trade and investment alongside tourism as it slowly recovers from a macroeconomic crisis under a $7 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) program.

The country also plans to cut container dwell time at its seaports by up to 70 percent to improve trade competitiveness and ease congestion, while Pakistan reduced in July port charges for exporters by 50 percent at the second largest Port Qasim.