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Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Sustainable Tourism Pakistan, a fancy dream

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.

Sustainable Tourism Pakistan, Ministry of Tourism Pakistan,
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.

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