Challenges and its impact over Tourism sector of Pakistan

Challenges and its impact over Tourism sector of Pakistan

Abstract

This report highlights the way challenges and their impact on the tourism sector of Pakistan. This report is divided into different sections, and each section helps in fulfilling the purpose of conducting this study. The introduction section of the project report is providing an overview of the tourism sector and its importance for the economic development of the country. In this chapter, an overview regarding the tourist sector of Pakistan is also given. This section also contains purpose, significance, objectives, and limitations related to the study. In the section of the literature review, the information is provided regarding the tourism sector of Pakistan. In this section, the challenges which are faced along with its impact over the tourism sector of Pakistan is explained. This section mentions that the security issue is the major challenge faced by the tourism sector of Pakistan. After this sector, the conceptual framework for research is also discussed. In this section, the research questions based on research objectives are mentioned. There are both independent and dependent variables related to research, and this section highlights those variables. Lastly, the research hypothesis is also discussed in this chapter, and each hypothesis is explained. The conclusion is the last section of this study, and in it, the information gathered related to the topic is evaluated. In this chapter, a conclusion has been made that the tourism sector is an important component of the economy, and the challenges faced by it must be resolved.

Introduction

It is initially important to understand that the tourism industry across the world is establishing, and the countries living globally are making sure that they are spending over establishing their tourism industry. There are various spots and landscapes which are a gift by God to countries, and the countries are using this aspect to improve their economic conditions as well. Various countries are relying on their tourism sector, and some countries like UAE are taking steps to shift their economy towards tourism. Operating in the tourism sector means that the companies are operating in the services-based industry. Services is considered an intangible component, and the quality of maintaining standards related to tourism is highly important for making sure that they are achieving success in this respect.

Pakistan is a developing country, and its tourist attractions are also popular globally. It is important here to understand that for the development of the economy, it is highly important to maintain the quality of the tourism industry. As Pakistan is a developing country hence, the tourism sector might face some difficulties, which are highly important not only to consider but it is also made sure that the initiatives must abide by the government to make this sector independent. It is important here to understand that the tourism sector of Pakistan is mainly based on the combination of its economics along with socio-cultural aspects. An essential and important point to consider here is to make sure that countries like Pakistan should make sure that they are spending a large amount of money over the establishment of this sector. The businesses are also promoting the tourist activities in-country as this aspect is also going to contribute to the sustainability of their business operations. Tourism is Pakistan has been growing, and as a developing country, the major issue faced by this sector is the lack of availability of resources. It is becoming a matter of great importance to shift towards the tourism-based economy as this is going to help the country in attracting tourists, and this is also going to help in attracting foreign direct investments as well. Lack of resources in-country is making it difficult for the tourism sector in Pakistan to maintain the quality of services, and this is also portraying a negative image of the country to the world which needs to be considered and resolved on a timely basis.

The survey has been conducted over the tourism sector of Pakistan, and it has been witnessed that the country can improve its tourism sector. Still, again the major point of concern here is the availability of resources. Pakistan is a country that is based on mountains, valley, lakes, and artifacts. The weather of Pakistan is also acting as a contributing factor in the development of the country’s tourism sector. The country has fascinating landscapes, and it is also having artifacts from all religions, which are making tourist aware of the diversity of culture in the country. The government of Pakistan is making sure that they are capitalizing on the assets of the country, as this is going to help in promoting tourism in the country.

Purpose of conducting the research

It has been discussed above that the tourism sector is helping the economies to not only establish but is also helping them to grow. It is becoming increasingly important here to understand that the purpose of conducting this research is to find and elaborate on the challenges which are faced by the tourism sector of Pakistan. Having a purpose for conducting research and project is essential as this is going to help in setting the objectives for conducting research. It is becoming a matter of great importance here to make sure that the purpose of research has been made clear as this is going to help in analyzing the challenges which the tourism sector of Pakistan is facing. The purpose of the project is also going to help in limiting the scope of the project as it is limited to the challenges faced by the tourism sector of “Pakistan.”

Limitations of the study

Every project has a limitation, and at the time when this research was conducted, the major limitation faced during the project is the subjectivity of the topic. It is important here to understand that identifying and explaining challenges is a subjective matter, and along with this, the scope if also vast as the challenges vary from area to area in a country. This limitation is kept in mind while researching this topic.

Objectives of the project

Having clear objectives is highly important for conducting research, as this is going to help in providing direction to research. By having clear objectives and individual knows that in which direction they will research to find answers to the topic. The objectives related to this research are as follows:

• To understand the importance of the tourism sector for Pakistan
• To identify the ways through which the tourism sector is helping the economy of Pakistan to grow
• To evaluate the challenges faced by the tourism sector of Pakistan.
• The analyze the ways through which challenges are impacting the tourism sector of Pakistan

Significance of the study

The topic is significant as the tourism sectors globally are helping the economies, and it is becoming increasingly important to understand that the tourism sector of Pakistan is also developing, which is going to make sure that the country is going to achieve economic sustainability in the future. But the sector is facing severe challenges because the country is developing and understanding these challenges is going to help in developing more accurate and reasonable view about the growth of the tourism sector in Pakistan

Literature review

It is increasingly important to make sure that the country is spending over keeping the quality of its tourism sector. The research has been conducted in this regard in which it was made sure that the country is using its natural resources to attract people living globally. Pakistan is a developing economy, and along with this, its tourism sector is also growing. Research has been conducted by Shaw (1996), in which he stated that Pakistan is an economically blessed country, and it is becoming a matter of great importance to make sure that the government of the country is effectively using their landscapes and resources for establishing their tourism sector. The country of Pakistan is currently offering various rich and fascinating sceneries to its tourists. Still, there have been different issues that are reported, which is impacting the quality of services offered by the country.

Pakistan is a country which is having an attractive history, and along with this, it is situated at a meeting point of three high hills. The country is also famous for its green valleys, and it is also having evidence of different civilizations that were part of this region centuries ago. According to research done by Rehman (2005), it has been witnessed that the people who are true nature lovers prefer to visit Pakistan. Along with this, the research was done by him also highlighted that people who prefer adventure are also making sure that they are visiting the country due to the presence of their vast mountainous region.

According to statistics issued by the Ministry of Toursim (2005), In Pakistan, the tourism sector is facing different issues and majorly due to the poor economic conditions of the country. It is becoming increasingly important here to understand that the economic standing of the country is going to make sure that the country is developing its all sectors, including tourism, but without economic stability, it is becoming difficult to maintain the level of standard in the tourism industry. Khurshid (2003), has also researched in this regard in which it was explained that tourism is playing an important role in promoting international trade. The closed economies are also highlighted in his research, and he explained that economies like China and Albania, etc. are considered as closed but now they are also opening their paths to tourism sector because the governments are now of the opinion that the flourishing of this sector is going to make their economies more stable. He started by considering this fact; it is increasingly important for Pakistan that it should make sure that they are maintaining the level of tourism standards. He did the study highlighted that if the government of Pakistan did not take any effective steps, then it might get too late for the country to establish its tourism sector and mark its presence globally.

According to research done by Shahab (2005), he highlighted that the tourism sector of Pakistan is comprised of various small and large businesses, and the quality of these businesses is having a direct impact on the ways through which they are achieving success. The federal and provincial governments are also making their contribution to the tourism sector development of Pakistan, and the study done by him highlighted that the governments are going to make sure that they are fulfilling their responsibilities and helping the sector to overcome its challenges. The agenda for governments are also clear, and by starting with discussing the challenge, the lack of co-ordination amongst governments is the major challenge faced by the tourism sector of Pakistan. The marketing and development strategies of both provincial and federal governments are conflicting, which is making the progress of the sector difficult in Pakistan. Thorough research has been done in this regard, and it was explained that the government in Pakistan is making sure that meeting at the provincial level has been conducted, which is highlighting that regular interval meetings are conducted n the ministry of tourism to overcome the challenge of co-ordination.

The major challenge faced by the country of Pakistan is Industry Quality, and the development of this sector is only possible by the ways through which the stakeholders are helping the country to grow and prosper. It is becoming increasingly important to make sure that the alignment has been done amongst tourism products and experience with consumer demand. This alignment is becoming a challenge for the sector. The major issue as per the ministry of tourism Pakistan is that the ministry is going to have an impact on the ways through which they are tackling the services performed within the country. The studies are highlighting that the tourism sector of Pakistan is going to issues related to the shortage of skilled personnel in the industry. This factor mentions that the presence of experienced people is the major determinant for achieving success, but when the tourism sector is not having enough skilled employees than it is not possible for a country to progress and develop their sector. For producing high yields, it is becoming a matter of great importance to make sure that the skilled employees are hired as they can use their experience for the development of the sector. In case of any issue in the sector, skilled employees are capable of resolving the issue effectively, and the institutions are going to make sure that they are fulfilling their responsibility to work in the best interest of the organization

According to research done by Ambreen (2008), in which it was highlighted that the presence of infrastructure is highly essential for the development of the sector. Lack of infrastructure in the tourism sector is the major reason due to which it is not developing. The lack of infrastructure is the major issue that has been faced by the tourism sector of Pakistan, and this is making the development of sector worst. The studies have highlighted that for the success of the tourism sector, the establishment of infrastructure is a contributing factor which is going to make sure that the success has been achieved at the national level and governmental co-ordination has also been improved. The research done by Ambreen (2008) has also highlighted that the other major factor which is playing a significant role in the tourism sector of Pakistan is the aviation service policy of the country. She stated that the government of Pakistan must ensure that they are having a lenient policy in place in respect of aviation so that the number of tourists visiting the country can be made better.

Competitiveness of tourism factor is also important as stated in the research done by Ambreen (2008), The presence of extensive research is increasingly important for the tourism industry, and the government must make sure that they are supporting both public and private business operating in the tourism sector. The presence of gaps in the tourism industry of Pakistan has also been discussed, and calculation for regional demand of tourists is an issue that needs to be addressed as this challenge is making it difficult to make statistical calculations so that the resources can be allocated to them appropriately. Kakar et al. (2010), has highlighted in the research that the major concern of tourists visiting Pakistan is a security concern of people. This is the major challenge faced by Pakistan as people living globally believe that Pakistan is not a safe place to live. This is the major challenge as the image of Pakistan has been distorted due to false media reporting, and this is hindering the people from traveling to Pakistan.

By evaluating the challenges of the tourism industry, it is highly important to understand that even the tourism sector requires effective promotional strategies. Lack of promotional campaign is the major challenge which is impacting the tourism sector of Pakistan. Promotion is important not only for tourism but also for businesses, and the people in Pakistan are having less knowledge about modern promotional strategies, and this is causing issues for the growth of the sector. It is also a matter of great importance to understand that the lack of training opportunities in respect of a promotional campaign is making it difficult for the tourism sector to make the world aware of tourist attraction points in Pakistan. Due to a lack of promotional strategies, the ministry of Tourism Pakistan is not capable of making the world aware of the tourist’s spot in the country.

Having an appropriate framework is essential, but on the contrary, because Pakistan is a developing country, hence it is not having an appropriate framework that is going to help the country in developing its tourism sector. Lack of framework is also impacting tourism strategies ineffective, which are ultimately going to cause difficulty in the ensuing growth of the tourism sector. This challenge is not only causing inefficiency in the tourism sector but also causing difficulty in improving co-ordination amongst governments. This is also making it difficult for people to allocate budget effectively. The progress and success of the business sector is totally dependent upon resources, which means the budget is not allocated properly, then this challenge is going to have a negative impact over-tourism industry. It is highly important here to understand that due to the lack of resources or budget in the tourism sector, the ministry is not capable of improving the quality of services and establish a new tourism attraction point. The lack of budget for the tourism sector is also making it tough to maintain the current level of services in the sector. The tourism authorities in Pakistan are also facing the challenge of changing governments and their agenda as they are directly impacting the ways through which the ministry performs the tasks. The challenge is that the governments operating in Pakistan are not ready to take any initiative, which in return is going to have a positive impact on the tourism sector. The tourism sector of Pakistan has been neglected, and the governments are not spending money on its developments. The government departments believe that attracting foreign investments is essential for economic growth, but still, they think that making tourism economy is not going to help in sustaining economic growth, but it is important here to highlight that the economies like Thailand are sustaining economic growth due to the positive initiatives taken by the government

Conceptual framework

Having an appropriate conceptual framework is essential as this is going to help in analyzing the presence of dependent and independent variables of the study. The research has been conducted in which it was highlighted that both the variables are developing a better understanding of the topic

Variables

While talking about variables, it is important to understand that there are independent and dependent variables related to research. Independent variables are one which is not getting influenced by any factor, whereas dependent variables are one which is having direct influence over the ways independent variables reach. The establishment and understanding of variables is essential as this is going to help in shaping research.

The independent variables for study are based on factors like security issues, marketing or publicity, lack of tourism infrastructure, lack of budget, and governmental initiatives, whereas the dependent variable for research challenges causing a decline in the growth of the tourism sector.

Independent variables                                                                                                    Dependent variable

Research questions

Research questions are equally important for making sure that the research is going in the right direction. Research questions are going to help in establishing the scope for conducting a project or study. The research questions related to the study are as follows:

• What is the importance of the tourism sector for Pakistan?
• What are the ways through which the tourism sector is helping the economy of Pakistan to grow?
• What are the challenges faced by the tourism sector of Pakistan?
• How are these challenges impacting the tourism sector of Pakistan?

Hypothesis development

Hypothesis development is an integral part of conducting research. The development of different hypothesis is going to make sure that success is achieved in researching by verifying the hypothesis that has been established at the time of conducting research. Hypothesis on which the research is based are as follows:

H1: Tourism sector is an important sector of Pakistan

H0: The tourism sector is not important in Pakistan?

In the above hypothesis, research needs to be done to find out about the ways through which the tourism sector is considered as an important sector for Pakistan. The information regarding the topic has to be gathered, which is going to help in identifying whether or not tourism sector is considered as an important sector for Pakistan.

H2: The tourism sector is helping the economy of Pakistan to grow?

H0: The tourism sector is not helping the economy of Pakistan to grow?

The tourism sector globally is related to the economic development of the country. in this hypothesis, the information will be gathered in order to identify that whether or not the tourism sector of Pakistan is helping in the economic growth of a country. The gathered information is going to verify that whether the hypothesis holds or not.

H3: The tourism sector of Pakistan

 faces major challenges?

H0: The tourism sector of Pakistan does not face major challenges?

Pakistan is a developing country, and it is facing difficulties or challenges in all its business sectors. The hypothesis is going to help in gathering information about the challenges which are faced by the tourism sector of Pakistan. The information is going to verify that in actual major challenges are faced by the tourism sector of Pakistan or not, and the hypothesis will get verified.

H4: Challenges are impacting the tourism sector of Pakistan?

H0: Challenges are impacting the tourism sector of Pakistan?

Lastly, it is equally important to evaluate the ways through which challenged faced by the tourism sector are having a major impact or not. The information must be gathered regarding the challenges, and its implication over-tourism sector of Pakistan must be discussed as this is going to help in making sure that the hypothesis is getting verified.

Conclusion

From all the above discussion, it is concluded that the Tourism sector is of great importance for the country, but on the contrary, it is highly important to make sure that its success is determined by its growth. It is concluded that Pakistan is a developing country, and the tourism sector is also playing an integral role in the establishment of the economy. By evaluating the literature review, it is concluded that the economies cannot simply ignore the tourism sector because the developed economies like China or Thailand are also taking help from their tourism sector for sustainable economic growth. It is becoming increasingly important here to understand that the tourism sector of Pakistan is not fully developed, and because of this, it is facing issues or challenges. It is concluded that the nature of challenges faced by the tourism sector of the country is simple and basic, and it is majorly going to have an impact on the ways through which the tourists are attracted to the country.

By looking at the challenges faced by the tourism sector of Pakistan, it is concluded that the major challenge is the security concerns of people living in the country. It is becoming a matter of great importance to understand that due to security issues, people will not be willing to visit the country, and the growth of the tourism sector is going to get impacted. It is concluded that the media must play a positives role in promoting the soft and healthy image of the country as this is going to change the perception of tourists about country and sector will grow. It is also concluded that the tourists visiting Pakistan must be given confidence that they are safe, and the government is taking reasonable care of their security. The study also helped in concluding that the tourism sector of Pakistan requires skilled people who are capable of making effective strategies. In this respect, it is concluded that the government must take appropriate initiatives where they are going to providing training to employees working in the tourism sector so that they can work with improved efficiency. Lastly, it is concluded by evaluating the challenges that lack of budget is the major challenge of the tourism sector of Pakistan, and the government must play their role in providing resources to the tourism sector as it is going to help in sustaining economic development in a country.