Daily Times

“The world,” says a fifth century traveller, “is a book. Those who do not travel, read only one page.”

Travel broadens one’s mental horizon and teaches people to be tolerant of other people’s views and ways. For those who travel at a young age, the experience amounts to great education. For those who travel at an advanced age, the experience is still valuable. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is reported to have highlighted the value of travelling as a learning experience.

Unfortunately, many Pakistanis lack the proper appreciation of the true essence of travelling. Fortunately, things are getting better.

The tourism industry is booming worldwide. Many states are actively investing in developing what is now called ‘responsible tourism’. The ‘responsibility’ part ensures that the benefits of travelling continue to outweigh the possible harm. As a developing country, Pakistan needs to focus on responsibility and sustainability of tourism. Handled carefully, tourism helps host communities create jobs, reduce migration to urban areas, preserve culture and conserve natural resources.

According to the World Travel and Tourism Council, revenue from tourism contributed around $19.4 billion to Pakistan’s economy last year. This amounted to 6.9 per cent of the gross domestic product. The Council expects the amount to increase to $36.1 billion within a decade.

The government should spare no effort to ensure that the tourism sector realizes its potential and its contribution to the GDP increases. Tourism should also aid social and religious harmony in the country

The Cape Town Declaration of 2002 defines responsible tourism as “making better places for people to live in and better places for people to visit.” Both governments and their private sector partners, including businessman, hotel managers, tour operators and guides, have important roles to perform in this regard. For Pakistan, branding its tourist destinations is the need of the hour.

The incumbent government has taken several steps in the right direction to upgrade the industry. These include the landmark decision to allow foreigners to travel to Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan without special permits. Both Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan remain under-explored.

The provincial governments in Khyber Pukhtoonkhawa and the Punjab have made their own efforts. The Balochistan government adopted a tourism policy in 2014 but it has yet to be implemented. The AJK government, too, has paid attention to improving facilities for tourism. According to AJK government statistics, 500,000 domestic tourists visited the Neelam Valley in 2015. The number is encouraging. Provincial governments need to implement their tourism policies and host conferences, adventure clubs and seminars to attract travellers.

As a developing country, Pakistan needs to focus on responsibility and sustainability of tourism. Handled carefully, tourism helps host communities create jobs, reduce migration to urban areas, preserve culture and conserve natural resources

Ensuring security is the foremost requirement for sustaining tourism. Fortunately, the security situation has improved significantly. Consistency is another necessity. Here are a few recommendations in view of the international guidelines for responsible tourism:

Train locals in proper hospitality.

Encourage local participation in drafting of tourism policy.

Offer incentives for participatory tourism.

Organize workshops for foreign travellers.

Propagate positive images of the targeted destinations.

Engage recognized travellers to visit targeted sites.

Draft environmental policy for tourist zones.

Make it convenient for people with physically handicaps to travel to tourist sites.

Develop Religious tourism.

Sustainable and responsible tourism requires a culture of seeing what is there to see rather than looking for what one plans to see. The significance of tour operators, the civil society and non-governmental organizations cannot be overemphasized.

The government should spare no effort to help the tourism sector achieve its potential and its contribution to the GDP increases. Tourism should also aid social and religious harmony in the country.

The writer has an M Phil degree in international relations and is a visiting lecturer at the International Islamic University, Islamabad