In the cross-border areas of Afghanistan and Tajikistan, AKF-supported guesthouses provide the infrastructure needed to attract tourists to the region, while training programmes for tour operators and support for organisations like the Pamir Eco-Tourism Association (PECTA) provide the critical support services required to build and sustain the tourism sector. In Pakistan’s northern Gilgit-Baltistan province, the restoration of landmark buildings has drawn visitors to remote areas. Across its programme areas, AKDN facilitates tourism development as a means of generating and supporting local economic activity.

“Stretching back now over nearly four decades the Serena Group has contributed significantly to the economic progress of the places where it operates. And we intend that this same thing will happen in this country... As the Serena Group has learned in so many other places, world-class travel facilities can be crucial components of what we call ‘an enabling environment’, a setting in which additional development initiatives can take root and thrive.” 
His Highness the Aga Khan speaking at the Inauguration of the Restoration of the Polana Serena Hotel in Maputo, Mozambique - 16 December 2010.