Recently in Pakistan, increasing value is being placed on tourism as a means for economic growth. The new government has committed to promoting Pakistan as a tourist destination, and in March 2019, rolled out a new visa policy to grant e-visas to citizens of 175 countries. Earlier this month, the Pakistan Tourist Summit was held, which brought together various stakeholders in the tourism industry, including government representatives, Prime Minister Imran Khan, members of the media, corporate and investment sectors, and local and international experts on tourism. What this summit failed to discuss, however, was the negative impact and management of increased tourism on the tangible, intangible and natural heritage of the country.
The recognition of the potential of Pakistan’s cultural and natural resources in its economic development is encouraging, but there are several potentially serious drawbacks. The most serious being the improper treatment of cultural and natural resources, especially when they are being seen solely as tools for economic development. Conversations must be had on the realistic expectations of the state from increased tourism, but also, how much it will truly benefit the local communities’ livelihoods. In addition to this, there are negative social, economic, physical and cultural impacts, which can include, but are not limited to, traffic congestion and increased pollution, higher prices for property and other essential commodities, inappropriately planned infrastructure development, and deterioration of the cultural and natural environment.
Pakistan’s cultural heritage has already been a victim to several of these factors. In 2010, responsibility for the upkeep and preservation of archaeological heritage was devolved from the federal government to the four provincial governments. This change has resulted in mismanagement of sites, as the provincial governments were not equipped with the financial and technical resources to safeguard the heritage sites. Although the change occurred nine years ago, the respective provincial departments of archaeology have been unable to strategize and coordinate the management and preservation of sites in an effective manner. This can be observed on a visit to Taxila, the 2000-year old Gandharan site revered by Buddhists for its role in the spread of Buddhism to East Asia. Lying on the border between two provinces, 10 of the sites fall in the province of Punjab, while the remaining 8 are in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. As an example, the monastery at Jaulian, which lies in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, is in a much better state than the 1st century AD site of Sirsukh, which is in Punjab.
The government has had just as much trouble looking after its diverse natural heritage. Pakistan is a geographically rich country, with some of the highest mountains in the world in the north, and sandy beaches on its coast in the south. Its rivers are home to unique plant and animal species. Over the past two decades, a wave of infrastructure development has led to the construction of highways that have increased access to previously distant areas. This has, over time, affected their beauty and value. After the building of a world class metaled road, Kaghan Valley in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is now only a few hours drive away from many major population centres. This has resulted in a dramatic increase in the number of tourists visiting the area – nearly one million annually. The major tourist site in the valley is Lake Saif ul Malook, which tourists reach by hiring 4x4s powered by diesel. This lake is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the country, with its pristine blue waters nestled between snow-capped mountains on all sides, idealized in folklore with a story involving fairies, giants, and an Egyptian prince. It was given the status of a national park in 2004, which brings it under the umbrella of ‘The Preservation, Protection, Conservation and Management Act 1975’ to protect and preserve its flora, fauna, scenery and geological features which are of special biological significance. The increased flow of visitors, however, is negatively impacting the serenity and environmental value of the lake, with its water now littered with plastic bottles, and the air heavy with the stench of diesel fumes.
Lake Saif ul Malook littered by tourists to the area. Picture Credit: Ali Salman Alvi/Twitter
As of now, it appears that the government’s tourism strategies and plans do not consist of a set of initiatives that focus on developing the tourism industry while minimizing these negative impacts. The prevailing public discourse on the subject has been minimal, and one-dimensional, including at the Tourism Summit. The Summit was a great opportunity for the government and stakeholders in the tourism industry to take into account the perspectives of Pakistani travel writers, bloggers/vloggers, thinkers, historians, conservationists, environmentalists and cultural heritage professionals on the importance of Pakistan’s cultural and natural resources, and their experiences of traveling within the country. However, the Summit had no local representation from these groups. Further, organisers forced panelists to focus solely on the ‘positive’ aspects, highlighted by American travel blogger Alex Reynolds, who attempted to add sophistication and perspective to the discourse surrounding the government’s ongoing efforts to revive the tourism industry.
The Way Forward
Tourism is a demand-driven industry, inspired by people’s need to experience something different from their daily lives. Tourists travel to new places to seek, learn and experience the world’s heritage.
A major stimulus for the development of tourism is economic. However according to Richard Engelhardt, an author and archaeology and heritage conservation professional, the experience in Asia has been different. Because of the drastic and unregulated growth of tourism in recent years, a massive amount of environmental destruction has taken place, examples such as discussed above.
In order to make tourism in Pakistan a viable tool for economic development, while preserving the cultural and environmental value of tourist sites, some issues will have to be addressed by the government, as well as the stakeholders of the tourism industry.
Impact assessments must be conducted for tourism development projects – the carrying capacity of sites must be considered, including their physical, natural, social and cultural limits. The scale as well as pace of tourism development must be compatible with local infrastructure and environmental limits, with consistent monitoring and evaluation of such projects. The tourism departments must come up with coordinated protection and monitoring strategies. This will require the tourism industry to work closely with heritage professionals.
In addition to this, education and training programmes at the local, regional and national levels are necessary to generate plans to manage the increased flow of tourists, and the effect this increased activity will have on the social and cultural fabric of the areas being affected. These programmes must also include the local communities that will be directly impacted by the influx of tourists. Community participation in the planning and implementation of a tourism development plan is essential, as it will serve to mitigate the negative social aspects which mass tourism brings, and will provide guidelines for appropriate tourist behavior in historically important but culturally fragile sites.
It is important to develop a method to educate tourists about the religious and cultural sensitivities of the places being visited. For example, the inhabitants of the Kalash Valley in Chitral, an ethnic and religious minority of Pakistan, have a custom of leaving the bodies of the dead in open graveyards. There have been cases of tourists taking selfies with the corpses, thereby disrespecting the unique customs of the Kalasha.
Tourism development plans must also include an emphasis on the interpretation of the site. Besides being a source of entertainment and adventure, how much knowledge is a visitor actually gaining about the historic and cultural significance of the site? The presentation of this knowledge must be approached and planned in a manner that encourages the recipient to appreciate the diverse history, culture and geography of the country, and highlight its importance and position in shaping Pakistan’s identity. Negligence in this matter has led to countless historic sites being vandalized across the country, including the World Heritage Site of Rohtas Fort.
The interior of a structure covered with graffiti in Rohtas Fort. Picture Credit: Rida Arif
In conclusion, it appears that a long term view of heritage resource protection is missing in the discourse around developing the tourism industry in Pakistan. If the resources being marketed to increase tourist activity are to be protected and preserved for future generations, it is essential. The tourist sites do not have unlimited tolerance to the stress caused by visitors, and have limits in terms of their capacity. Unless this limit is respected and visitor management is practiced at the sites, they will quickly deteriorate. Unmanaged tourism will only endanger Pakistan’s historic monuments and spectacular landscapes. Their demise will mean not only the loss of some of the most historic and scientifically important places on earth, it will also mean the end of the tourist industry that Pakistan is already struggling to manage.
