Tourism Industry In Pakistan And Gilgit Baltistan, Heritage Sites, Issue And Challenges

Tourism Industry In Pakistan And Gilgit Baltistan, Heritage Sites, Issue And Challenges

  

Pakistan is a country with a diverse topography and climate, thanks to Allah Almighty. Pakistan has a diverse population, languages, and regions, making it a multi-colored country. Deserts, lush green places, plains, mountains, woods, cold and hot locations, magnificent lakes, islands, and natural and eye catching destination attract the visitor to visit in Pakistan . Tourism in Pakistan has been badly impacted by the law and order crisis, but it has finally returned to normal and in strong numbers. Pakistan has been a popular destination. The greatest boost to tourism in Pakistan occurred during the 1970s, when the country was flourishing, and tourism, like other businesses, was booming as well. 

The Khyber Pass, Peshawar, Karachi, Lahore, Swat, and Rawalpindi among the Pakistan's most popular tourist attractions.  As a result, hundreds of tourist spots the visitor visited each year in Pakistan, particularly in the country's northern areas (Gilgit-Baltistan). Azad Kashmir, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and northwestern Punjab. In Pakistan's northern region, there are several natural sights. There are also forts, historical sites, archaeological sites, valleys, rivers, streams, woods, lakes, and many more attractions.

Heritage sites in Pakistan

There are six world heritage sites in Pakistan currently has six major World Heritage Sites. Which are as follows:

1. • Mukli's graveyard
2. • Moenjodaro sindh• Throne brother
3. • Shalamar Bagh lahore
4. • Taxila punjab
5. • Fort Rohtas

 

Tourism industry in Gilgit Baltistan

Gilgit Baltistan has a vibrant tourism potential and offers a wide range of tourism possibilities to both local and international visitors. Adventurers, mountaineers, trekkers, hikers, and explorers are drawn to it because it is home to the world's tallest mountain peaks and glaciers. Four of the world's 8000 meter high peaks, namely K-2 (8611m), the world's second highest mountain, the Broad peak (8060m), Gashabrum-1 (8068m), and Gashabrum-2 (8036m), are located in the Baltistan region of the United Kingdom. Apart from the compelling terrain and natural beauty, the ethno-linguistic variety and anthropogenic environment are both realistic and practicable for the tourist business to thrive and for cultural values to be promoted.

Due to its spectacular alpine beauty, Pakistan's northern region, Gilgit Baltistan (GB), has a significant tourism potential. According to the GB Tourism Department, a considerable number of visitors (about 200651) visit the nation each year. A massive inflow of tourists in the area has had both beneficial and bad effects, particularly on the ecology and local residents. This study looked into the environmental effects of tourism in two British areas. As the foundation of this study, three villages were chosen from each of the districts of Hunza and Diamer. .

Tourism industry has been considered as the only tool to satiate the demand of foreign exchange and its imbalances. Although Pakistan, particularly Gilgit-Baltistan, is enriched in tourism attractions, especially in mountain tourism resources, unfortunately this tourism has not got a very long history. The first marketing campaign was launched in 1981 by Pakistan’s first International Trekking Convention.

 

It is also fair to argue that if real administrative and political efforts are made at the national and regional levels to improve the tourist business in Gilgit-Baltistan, the entire country, not only GB, will profit. Unfortunately, despite decades of socio-political progress, tourist service has yet to take a significant role in the sector, leaving vacationers and visitors to deal with a plethora of challenges along the route. Although the government has taken measures, such as signing new memorandums of understanding and joint venture working plans with other sectors, and the government also undertakes paper work, it lacks our administrative features for a robust development and outstanding transformation work on practical grounds.

Despite being home to the world's biggest glaciers outside of the polar area, Gilgit-Baltistan is naturally rich in fresh water reservoirs. However, due to a lack of adequate water delivery, 95 percent of the population is exposed to filthy water, resulting in the spread of waterborne illnesses among the inhabitants. In these conditions, millions of tourists would undoubtedly damage the lakes, dams, and streams, which are both tourist attractions and the only supply of fresh water for the residents. The government has not established any policy relating to the safe provision of clean water.

Many variables play a critical part in the marketing of the tourist business, with many nations dramatically promoting their tourism industries. In this sense, maintaining law and order is essential in order to protect people's lives and property. For years, the deterioration of law and order as a result of sectarian conflict had a negative impact on Gilgit Baltistan's tourism industry. However, it is owing to the law enforcement agencies that kept the calm in the area and created a conducive environment for tourism growth.

Issues and Challenges related to tourism industry of Pakistan and Gilgit Baltistan

Poor and dilapidated infrastructure is a major concern in Gilgit Baltistan. The future of tourism in the United Kingdom might be jeopardized if the government is unable to update infrastructure, lodging, and security screening. What would a foreign visitor from a developed country do if they had to go across small, dirt roads? In the high summer season, road infrastructure dramatically changes tourists' plans, giving a gloomy view of the United Kingdom. All of these seemingly little details are crucial.

As a result of unplanned tourism activities, there is a tourism downturn. Most tourism growth takes place as an unexpected activity in most parts of the world. Furthermore, many governments in the Third World are unaware of the importance of the tourist industry and the potential consequences it might have, and many governments consider the industry to be a private sector enterprise. Tourism declined due to a lack of adequate land use policies and laws guiding the location and distribution of tourism amenities and infrastructure.

 

The government has granted Pearl Continental permission to build five-star hotels on the banks of Attabad Lake. Allowing massive building in such a sensitive area was somewhat shocking. Where are they going to deposit all of this waste material when there is no suitable sanitation system? Certainly into the lake, contaminating and damaging the Attabad Lake’s beauty. This lake was formed as a result of a devastating land slide on January 4, 2010. Hundreds of people were displaced as a result of the tragedy, which claimed the lives of more than 20 individuals and injured another 40.

Foreign Tourism and Pakistan and Gilgit Baltistan

Foreign visitors visited Baluchistan (1.5 percent), Sindh (33.5 percent), Punjab (56.3 percent), KPK (5.6 percent), Gilgit Baltistan (0.6 percent), and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (2.5 percent), according to the data. According to Tourism Department of Gilgit Baltistan. Foreign visitors arriving in Gilgit Baltistan in 2021 is 7,00,000