Awareness for boosting tourism

One of the many promises the incumbent government made before coming into power was to boost tourism and turn it into a major contributor to the national economy. Once in power, visa policies were changed, investors and stakeholders were wooed and a tourism summit was held to pitch the country’s tourism spots to the world.

However, apart from these measures, there is also a dire need to create awareness regarding tourism and its livelihood prospects among the masses, especially those living near tourist destinations. I came to this observation during a recent visit to my hometown in Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) where I saw large-scale construction work picking up rapid pace from Hunza to Sost (a dry port). This is mainly because of the high tourist influx the region has witnessed in the past few years.

Many people are taking loans or converting their fertile lands into hotels, guesthouses, motels and restaurants. That might look like a big decision, but one that is becoming increasingly common. In the next few years, it is expected that a large hotel and food chains will also follow suit. And that might limit people’s privacy.

According to the Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC) statistics, as many as 1.75 million tourists visited the country in 2017. With such numbers, the need for tourist resorts is understood. But most of the construction work is unplanned. Newly-built structures should be a reflection of the cultural roots of that specific area, instead of just being replicas of traditional urban designs. Traditional houses, handicrafts involving bright colours and floral patterns, woodwork, food, and hospitality should be used to market the local culture and tourism potential of the area to the world.

While the flow of tourists — mainly locals — has opened up many economic opportunities, it has also given rise to many environmental challenges. The increase in tourist numbers has also meant increased volumes of garbage. Public waste, most of which is plastic, can be seen thrown around the corners of the roads and in streams flowing directly from glaciers. A forest officer at the check post before the pass told me, “We give tourists shoppers for dumping waste but they throw it after crossing few miles from the post.” He added, “The department has time and again informed them of hazards but they don’t follow the rules.”

The Aga Khan Rural Support Programme had also run a campaign “Responsible Tourism” to maintain cleanliness in the region by urging visitors to respect the biodiversity and environment of G-B. But, locals have been complaining of waste disposal on roads by the tourists.

For a region like G-B, which has already experienced many climate-induced disasters, following construction rules and preserving its environment becomes even more important. If not given attention to, it can cost people both in terms of life and money.

New business ideas are the need of the hour. People can also come up with ideas for PR agencies to promote local artists, cab services, a cottage industry for handicrafts and fruit farming. The PTDC has been trying to gather tourism experts from the public and private sectors at a single platform to discuss strategies for job creation through tourism promotion, which is a good sign. But the government’s strategy to develop tourism will be successful when it will run campaigns and programmes at the grass-root level to preserve the environment and ecosystem of the northern areas.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 15^th, 2019.

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