TOURISM

TOURISM
                 Tourism means the whole business of providing accommodation and recreation facilities for those people who are travelling and visiting or staying in a place for relatively limited period.The purpose for the visit or stay is primarily for pleasure.
                  Recently tourism has become the world's fastest growing industry.It has become an important factor in the economy of most developed countries as one of the possible ways to obtain income and create jobs.
                  In Pakistan domestic and foreign tourism is small scale at present.Except for a small group of dedicated mountaineers, mainly foreigners, very few people visit Pakistan. As far as the domestic tourism is concerned it is primarily male oriented and especially men under 40 are involved. During  summer, when the heat of  the plain areas become unbearable, quite a few affluent  families go to hilly areas such as Murree, Swat , Kaghan, Chitral etc.  

                              
                  FACTORS TO DETERMINE THE FEASIBILITY OF DEVELOPING TOURISM IN AN AREA OF PAKISTAN

1. Presence of tourist attractions
2. Level of security for the tourists
3. Availability of capital
4. Provision of infrastructure facilities
5. Management of tourists attractions
6. Marketing and publicity at international level
7. The feasibility of developing transport and communication
8. Government priorities

THE PRESENCE OF TOURIST ATTRACTIONS
           The development of tourism in Pakistan primarily depends  on the presence of tourist destinations within easy travelling distances between them in order to encourage foreign tourist to visit Pakistan.There is no doubt that Pakistan has genuinely impressive natural , historical  and cultural attractions , which may be captivating  for the tourist. However , all of these places may not be easily accessible to the tourists due to inadequate  transport facilities.

SECURITY
 Owing to the low level of security, there is, at present, a constant decline in the number of  tourists visiting Pakistan. Official records suggest that over 350,000 tourists come to Pakistan every year though the number has been on the decline , especially since the middle 1990s . Even the 350,000 figure is highly inflated  because it includes business travellers and Pakistanis  living abroad who come to visit their friends on foreign passports. Compare these figures with China and Spain , which get over 40 million tourist arrivals every year.
       After September 11, 2001, many foreign tourists have been reluctant to visit Pakistan  due to the possible terrorist attacks on foreign tourists. It is not worthwhile to develop tourism unless the level of  security is improved in Pakistan.

AVAILABILITY OF CAPITAL
 Availability of capital for tourism determines the level of  its development. The distribution of funds allocated for  the development of the tourist industry seems to be inadequate. Much more is spent on advertisements than on the development of infrastructure facilities.

PROVISION OF INFRASTRUCTURE FACILITIES
 Infrastructure facilities like all -weather roads,electricity , water supply, hospitals, food supply,  and proper sewage  disposal systems are essential for the development of tourism. If these facilities are lacking , tourist will be reluctant to visit . In Pakistan , although  natural unexplored  beauty and a unique cultural heritage attract some tourists, nevertheless the lack of infrastructure facilities de-motivates the less adventurous tourists.

MANAGEMENT 

Mismanagement of tourist attractions has made some of the popular ones unattractive for domestic and foreign tourists. For example Murree, which was once popular as a tourist point due to its easy accessibility ,has started losing its natural  charm due to deforestation, congestion, inadequate sewage disposal and environmental pollution.

MARKETING AND PUBLICITY
   In this era of globalization , marketing is very important for the promotion of any industry . No matter how excellent your product, if it is not known to the consumer then its maximum potential cannot be realised. Recently there has been some improvement in domestic and foreign marketing after the introduction of Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation's websites. In modern times , publicity can be easily  and most  effectively done  by developing websites. However , marketing and publicity can be further improved.

TRANSPORT AND COMMUNICATIONS  
  Some of the remote northern areas in Pakistan still remain unexplored due to the lack of transport facilities. For example Kaghan and Naran are difficult to reach ,as the roads are not properly maintained. Most of the roads in mountainous areas are non-metalled (kuchha). There is risk of  landslides  and flash floods. Airports have been opened at Chitral, Saidu Sharif, Gilgit and Skardu  but flights are dependet on the weather. If helicopter services are provided for the tourists  visiting the northern areas ,  then they will not be stranded. This single point will enhance tourism, as the tourist will no longer be afraid of being stranded in the remote  northern areas.

GOVERNMENT PRIORITIES
The government policies to develop tourism determine the extents of its development. Some of the economic experts question whether, in a country like Pakistan, where developmental programmes cover only a few areas  and many of the mineral deposits remain untapped, is it worthwhile to spend  huge amounts on tourism facilities? How ever it may be  worthwhile to develop " targeted tourism"  , that means , to develop those tourist points which are cost -effective and which can bring greater economic benefits.