A new bottle
is mandatory for new wine.
We cannot disprove the
importance of tourism for any country, in arrears to the income generated by
the ingestion of goods and services by the tourists, the taxes charged on
businesses in the tourism industry, and the opportunity for employment in the
service industries associated with tourism. The industries related to tourism
sector are transportation services (like airlines, cruise ships,
buses, trains, and taxis), hotels, restaurants, bars, and other
hospitality services such as spas, sauna, resorts and health resorts etc.
If Pakistan is
acknowledged in the world of tourism, it is vitally because of the mountainous
regions of the North; the four mountain ranges of the Hindu Kush, Pamir, KaraKorum and
the Great Himalaya form the densest concentration of high peaks in the world.
The high-flying feature of the country geography is the diversity of its
landscape, from the coastal regions and the deserts of the south to the
thriving plains of the 2500 km long Indus River, which paths through
the country, rising in Tibet and emptying into the Arabian
Sea.
Gilgit-Baltistan
(formerly known as Northern Area) is one of the main tourism destinations in Pakistan both
for foreign and domestic tourists. The natural beauty, some of the highest
mountain peaks (like K2, Nanga Parbat, Rakaposhi, etc.) in the World, the
largest glaciers outside the polar region, the rich cultural heritage, the odds
and ends of the long history in the form of archaeological sites are the main
tourism assets of the area. Plenty mountaineering and trekking expeditions
visit the area every year. Tourism is one of the most important sectors of the
economy of Gilgit-Baltistan.
In contemporary period
Ministry of Tourism is responsible for policy making, marketing and promotion
of foreign and domestic tourism and the synchronization and regulation of
federally administered areas and provincial governments (Sindh,
Blochistan, Punjab and KhayberPakhtoonkhuwa) and other private sectors involved
in tourism industry. There are several agencies and organizations working with
Tourism Department in order to promote tourism and safeguard cultural heritage
of the area. The target of sustainable tourism development and conservation of
cultural heritage can be achieved if all the stakeholders address various
issues faced by the sector in corresponding way.
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| Photo Credit: Anonymous |
Economic growth can lead
to disparity, which in turn can strike poverty eradication. Societal allies
such as crime are bound to increase more in an imbalanced society and that
uneven socio-political conditions can lead to a fall in inequality levels because
growth and distribution are mired. Disparity will increase as a result of
openness of trade which will truly affect small players of the industry.
Therefore, handling
poverty in partial mode will make more harm so it is worthy to deal with it in
broader way. There is interrelationship between social and economic factors,
and survival of a society is dependent on a balance between the two; a holistic
approach to poverty cutback would infiltrate the root of the problem and lead
to sustainable development. The end results will be more effective if there is
interaction between the various policies, rather than allowing each policy to
deal separately with the problem of poverty.
The approach towards
human resources is not organized in Pakistan; utilizing human resources
can lead to better results. There are many skilled and talented workforces in
tourism business; still they need key skills and business tactics in specific
areas such as tourism management and forecasting, information mediums and
marketing these essential components in the launch of any kind of change in
tourism industry of Pakistan. Management, training and guidance of human
resource both in the public and private sector and especially at the top level
would be a stride in the right direction. People at the top level are
responsible for taking key decisions which influences tourism trend of the
country. A lucid knowledge of planning, marketing, information, distribution
and evaluation are essential components for empowering tourism professionals to
act as effective agents of tourism industry Pakistan.
Interaction between
diverse stakeholders will also help in further development of tourism because
these sorts of interactions can bring people into contact from different
hierarchy, backgrounds, disciplines, and organizations. Under one circumstance
this would not be possible because of societal, cultural, economic, political
and technological barriers. However building trust, confidence and competencies
can bring people together but the idea of coming together should be entirely
based on voluntary basis. To materialize the common goal, stakeholders should
increase awareness, emphasize professional support, cooperate, organize and
exchange knowledge, and to share decision making because the network has no center.
Currently the case is not encouraging for the industry in Pakistan because
Government and Ministry are not taking serious measures to materialize
industrial goals of tourism sector.
Poor infrastructure is
one of the main obstacle which slowdowns developmental process. Derisory road
transport and dependency on taxis; inadequate, costly and unpredictable air
transport services and preposterous national air carrier especially to
Gilgit-Baltistan; inadequate telecommunications networks; inadequate water
supply and sewage amenities; irregular power supply and poor roads; lack of
information centers and tourist rest-points; poor signposting and printed
material; and most importantly, poor maintenance of the castles, forts museums
and cultural sites.
The above mentioned
problems are main reasons for poor tourist inflow in Pakistan and
consequently the local businesses and especially those in micro-scale are
deprived of revenue. Infrastructural development and especially communications
and transportation are preconditions for tourism development since tourism
requires physical resources and utilities to facilitate business transactions.
Insufficient technology hinders local entrepreneurs’ but propagation and
further expansion of small and medium scale businesses to compete in local,
regional, national or international markets. At the other hand tourists
themselves are also unfortunate, to value and fully enjoy the tourism
attractions as well as to assist with conservation. But there are areas where
the worldly renowned organizations (like IUCN, WWF etc.) have contributed to
highlight the existing issues and also to create awareness among people about
the concept of eco/responsible tourism. Insufficiency in physical capital is
already identified in terms of security, sanitation, banking, hotels and
restaurants, and prices.
There are no tourism
partnerships at micro-level neither at macro-level or any other significant
linkages between travel agents, tour operators, hoteliers and other players of
the industry. Vague definition of partnerships or insufficient information about
markets and its value makes people distrustful. Therefore they prefer to work
as an individual on a small or medium scale instead of sharing their markets
with other players of the industry which leads limited budget and poor market
activity. Partnerships can help to push out assets to the businesses, such as
reserved capital and expertise. It can also help to develop linkages between
tourism and other businesses, which is currently rare in the designated
communities, but idea will increase sense of contact, trust and good will among
communities.
Sustainable tourism
could only be developed if socially responsible amendments were made at an
institutional and policy level so that the main concern is shifted towards
developing tourism as an apparatus for poverty reduction and not only as a
medium for development.
Developing socially
liable sustainable tourism can contribute towards sustainable poverty reduction
which requires empowerment of the poor and formation of partnerships among all
the stakeholders.
The most important factor
which can boost healthy tourism environment is awareness, open dialogue,
schooling, and guidance for the local communities because better education can
change mental approach and perception about foreign tourists.
