Factors Affecting The Pakistan Tourism Industry

Factors Affecting The Pakistan Tourism IndustryPakistan appeargond as a modern democracy on 14 August 1947. T here(predicate) ar four provinces and either four are gifted with heritage and culture. It is one of fertile and ridiculous collections of majestic and rugged softwoods, lush fields, deserts, rivers, lakes, seashores and landscapes enriched with friendly and hospitable flock olibanum making it a heavenly destination for holidaymakers with incompatible tastes. Pakistan is know in the gentlemans gentleman of phaetonry because of the mountainous regions of the north, the Hindukush, Karakoram and the Great Himalaya who form the densest concentration of full(prenominal) peaks in the world. Kalam (Swat valley) in Pakistan is known as the Switzerland of Asia. The Hunza and Chitral valleys in Pakistan were the home to a small pre-Islamic animist Kalasha community who claim descent from the army of horse parsley the Great (Mapsofworld.com). The historic and archaeological lays of Ghandhara and Indus Valley civilizations, Mohenjo-Daro, Taxila and the Mughal Empire are the examples of oldest civilizations in Pakistan. This multicultural character of the uncouth besides contrisolelyes to the touring carry manufacturing in the way that it offers various traditions, customs and festivals for the tourists to explore and whoop it up.Problem statement consort to the above paragraph, Pakistan seems to be a perfect place for tourists to be visited but palliate the tourists arrival is decreasing day by day if we reconcile into consideration the years from 1995 till 2008.Aims and ObjectivesThe aim of my dissertation is to find bulge out the supportive and prejudicious factors which are affecting the Pakistan touristry sedulousness and worrywise the cause of tourists declining ratio. Find out the role of the government towards the cookment of this patience and suggest some strategies that after part improve this sector and overly meet the hid den potential of touristry industry. An other motivation behind this research is to examine and canvass the economic effect of touristry in name of money and job generation in our country as compared to the conterminous countries.Research QuestionsThe research questions areWhat are the factors affecting tourism industry in Pakistan?How much potential Pakistan has got in tourism industry?How tourism industry created revenue and job for the country?What will be the strategies to develop the tourism industry in Pakistan?What the government should do to develop the tourism industry in Pakistan?Literature review and theoretical backgroundIn this chapter, I will discuss some of the available literature and compare it with my research work giving a broader picture of the unique nature of the work and its practical usefulness.Literature reviewKakar et al. 2007, in their research thesis provided a relation between tourism and usance in Pakistan. The pop the question of this research was to determine the rate of employment generated in different occupations from the tourism sector. The analyze was carried out by personal visit to the hotels, restaurants, souvenir shops, give way agents, car hire firms, tour operators and airline offices. They designed a questionnaire for this purpose. The survey was certified in the sense that it was carried out in simply twain cities of Pakistan i.e. Swat and Abbottabad and secondly it was carried out in hotels and restaurants. No attempt was do to determine the total impact of tourism on different employment sectors equal taxis, guides, entertainment, travel agencies etc. furthermore the statistical data provided on the number of hotels, number of beds and the number of people employed is limited in the sense that in that respect is no proper information about the while/date/year in which the data was recorded.Baloch (2007) in his research of managing tourism in Pakistan deals with the issue of diagnosing the cause of crawling nature of Pakistans tourism growth and suggest ways to develop this industry through natural, historical and cultural resources. The research was carried in Chitral valley only. The methodology used was written text the views of tourists, locals, hoteliers and data collection from Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC) and Ministry of Tourism. The research is restricted in the sense that the deteriorating condition of this industry is explained only for 2006 and there is no proper statistical data provided for Chitral valley. The data was collected from the concerned departments and there is no proper findings obtained from the tourists and hoteliers.Although some of the studies found and discussed above are relate to the tourism industry in Pakistan but there is hardly either research that focuses mainly on overbearing and negative factors effecting Pakistan tourism industry on a whole and compare this industry to its neighboring countries. faint focus on fa ctors effecting tourism, its impact on employment and the revenue clear for the whole country. The research will take statistical data for at long last fourteen years which will help in comparing the surgical process of this sector with other countries also.Theoretical Background at that place are some positive and negative factors which are affecting Pakistan tourism industry. These are as followsPositive factorsThe tourists usually travel to see different places and things other like climate, nature, cultures, people, customs, arts, cuisines, languages, unique festivals, old historical buildings and sites etc. the reason why Pakistan has a great potential in tourism industry is that it posses every case-by-case thing that could meet the demand of visitors. Following are the types of tourism in PakistanDiaspora Tourism agree to Clarke (2003) the term Diaspora refers to a person who is from one country but originates from another and identifies with the country of origin. The term Diaspora can be approached from both different directions, as a typological tool and as a hearty condition. When the term is used typologically it refers to a group of people who guard move from one place to another and who still identify with their fatherland. The homeland is righteous a metaphor, it may not even exist but it still carries significance for the individual. Clarke (2003) argues that Diaspora is people who have relocated for any of five different reasons victim, labor, trade, imperial and culture. on the whole of these reasons are in some way laboured upon the individual, which is the central idea behind this type of approach to the Diasporas phenomena. For example, the British who immigrated involuntarily to the different colonies were imperial Diasporas. The typological approach to the Diasporas issue is that it disregards the differences within the different groups. So it is more accurate to describe Diaspora as a condition. The condition of world fro m one place but of another and identify with sentiments towards a homeland (Clarke, 2003) fit to Ali Eteraz (2008), more than 7 million Pakistani people are living outside from Pakistan. Pakistan has got a large number of Pakistani Diaspora which can contribute a positive role in the economy of Pakistan. unconnected from Diaspora, visiting friends and family tourism is also very important. Many of these Pakistani Diasporas have friends and families living in Pakistan, and they continue to visit these friends and families playing more positive role in the development of Pakistani tourism.Domestic TourismAccording to Richter (1989), many countries of the world take domesticated tourism as a poor cousin and didnt pay much attention but consort to Boniface and Cooper domestic tourism make up 80% of the world tourism flow. In Pakistan, there are many worthwhile places which not only attract international tourists but also domestic tourists.Heritage TourismPakistan is a home to the ab out spectacular antediluvian cities of the world including the Indus and Gandhara civilization. Taxila, Moenjodaro and Harrppa, museums, Mughal heritage and the silk pathway, Badshahi Masjid, Shalimar Gardens, Tomb of Jahangir and the Lahore Fort (UNIC, 2011).Lahore Fort K Ali mannikin 2 Lahore Fort (Source http//www.gardenvisit.com/garden/lahore_fort)Religious/ Spiritual or trip TourismPakistan is also noted for its shrines and temples. Each year not only Muslims from different countries come to visit the holy shrines but also the Hindus, Sikhs and Buddhist visit Pakistan for pilgrimage (UNIC, 2011).httphttps://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnBimtkgkMMKOjJa4k0gC03mJJf5KN3bkW4qWGzNh-8XnFkLy0WBKrl6dIwrmB2bqfn_yNZ8eU8ybXA38bSrTo0ja-JYfXUDbSu4twUMCjgyCfSnkeDDTrc3goDSS-gzaHTTAd6vXkSHmr/s400/shrine-abdullah-shah-ghazi.jpgFigure 3 Shrines of Pakistan (Source http//pak-istan.blogspot.com/2009/09/shrines-of-pakistan.html)Cultural Tourism to a fault archaeological sites and architecture masterpieces of Mughal emperors and British antecedents, Pakistani cuisine and festivals are still another inte resting part of rich Pakistani culture. The food streets in Pakistan are becoming a major source of attraction for tourists as they can enjoy the local Pakistani food as tumefy as the colorful streets and people shopping in the streets at the very(prenominal) time. Famous food streets in Pakistan are Food way Gawalmandi and Anarkali in Lahore, Melody and blue area Food Street in Islamabad, ruin Road in Karachi, and Ghantar Ghar in Peshawar. Festivals tend to provide celebration, joy, mental and bodily refreshment to not only local people but also the tourists who come with the aim to explore and enjoy different cultures and festivals. Some of the famous cultural ceremonies and festivals of Pakistan include Lok virsa mela, Horse and cattle shows, Basant or kite flying, Festivals of lamps, Federal areas festivals including the famous Kalash festivals and Silk route festivals etc (UNIC, 2011).Food Street, Lahore Figure 4 Food Street Lahore (Source http//www.studentsoftheworld.info /sites/country/26292.php)Adventure or ECO TourismECO or adventure tourism is the most significant part of the tourism industry as Pakistan is goddam with worlds most beautiful and renowned mountains, lakes valleys, glaciers and passes. Tourists not only enjoy the site viewing but also perform activities like skiing, hiking, surfing, camping and cruising. mountain climbing and trekking are the most exciting activities that tourists enjoy. World 2nd largest mountain K2 and Switzerland of Asia known as Swat valley is also located in Pakistan. Silk route is also included among Pakistan attractions as it is an ancient route connecting east and the west. Pakistan is also home to 31 natural and manmade lakes and reservoirs. The helicopter or train hunting expedition is also very famous among tourists as they travel to see the most spectacular views of landscapes and mines across the country. The helicopter safari is the latest means of locomotion as it takes the tourists high in the sky so they can enjoy the highest peaks in the north and deserts in the south (UNIC, 2011).click here to enlargeFigure 5 Ayubia (Source http//www.offthemap.ca/diaster.php)Wild Life TourismThere are about 14 national parks which give a beautiful glimpse of the rich Flora and Fauna of Pakistan. And there are 2 safari parks with various types of animals like tigers, lions, monkeys, elephants, giraffes, pythons, birds, deers etc (UNIC, 2011).httphttps://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS0ra4geTSe0SeQXtZss5LkcfbKwiOwEQXWBjpvh91NVkCqFKBATTxWNqO8OWKg4OuOoKfCfOnGn2w3MDMQlMf_xO300fILy03OQOBnz_dWPAeD-fXXl7NItVvn9sUon4csBNVcH1NelM/s320/CIMG2056.JPGFigure 6 Kund Wild Life Park (Source http//kiranpalwasha.blogspot.com/2010_03_01_archive.html)Sports TourismPakistan is popular as a tourist sports destination. Himalayan range which is the worlds highest mountain range in the world demands for professional trekking along with general trekking. Other types of sports tourism include vacuous water rafting, wild boar hunting in deep forests, shandur polo games, mountain biking, golf, ice climbing, rock climbing, sno wboarding, skiing, caving and pot holding etc. rich people and prince come from middle east for deer hunting in Pakistan.All the above mentioned factors contribute positively to Pakistan tourism industry but along with these, there are also negative factors which are affecting Pakistan tourism industry and have resulted in the loss of tourists arrival in Pakistan. detrimental FactorsThe negative factors effecting Pakistan tourism industry are the views and opinions of domestic and international tourists obtained via questionnaire and interview. According to the tourists, the biggest problem they are facing while travelling is security issues which include the current insurgency in Pakistan. Even the domestic tourists dont feel like travelling in their own country. Second issue of tourists decline is negative image of Pakistan portrayed by media to the outside world. Lack of cornerstone, ineffective promotional policies, short-handed tourists services and facilities, lack of initia tives by concerned government departments, inadequate knowledge and training of personnel in tourism sector, law and tack together situation especially in the high tourists attraction areas, inadequate infrastructure facilities, lack of incentives in the tourist sector, failure to show and project the positive image of the country via media to the outside world, low allocation of yearbook tourist budget, lack of development and facilities in the mountain regions, lack of understanding to the tourist needs, the overtaking and win over of governments and administration within the country (army rule) and high ostentatiousness rate are the key points which have altogether made tourism an unsuccessful industry in Pakistan. The tourism Ministry is not playing decent role and tourist faces difficulties in getting timely visa and other informations. The tourism authorities must focus on this sector as tourism is the only sector, which can contribute substantially in the scantiness all eviation and improving the living standards of the local community.Factors Effecting TourismPositive Factors ostracise FactorsSecurity problems for the touristsLess marketing and publicity on international trainWeak travel and tourism frameworkLow allocation of annual tourist budgetHigh inflation rateOvertaking and change of governmentsLack of initiative by concerned government departmentsPresence of tourist attractionsMountainsValleysLakesHistorical placesRich cultureRich foodSalt mines leak festivals5 stars hotel chainsRestaurantsHandicraftsMuseumsBusiness environmentFactors effecting tourismFigure 8 Factors effecting tourism