Pakistan’s northern areas are blessed with countless potential tourists attractions and many of these attract thousands of foreign and local travelers and adventurers every year, yet it remains a concerning fact that KPK hasn’t exploited its tourism attraction completely. On 22nd August 2023, the world witness one such challenge when 6 students along with their 2 teachers were stranded mid-air after 2 out of 3 cables of a dolly were snapped. It took Pakistan military, local administrations and locals more than 12 hours to rescue them. Alhamdulillah the rescuer operations were a success and all lives were saved eventually in untiring efforts led by Pakistan Army.
Despite the fact that no loss of life occurred in this incident, yet it has highlighted to the world all the challenges why people are reluctant to visit KPK for tourism and this is related to development of travel infrastructure particularly tourism infrastructure. Last year’s flash flooding caused massive damage to local hotelling businesses hence caused damage to tourism industry adversely and now this incident has further exposed inadequacy of infrastructure.
Apart from tourism, it this incident has exposed the lack of quality control over local chair-lift businesses where local vendors have been manufacturing and installing such chair-flits where there is no emergency exit is provided in case of emergencies like experienced two days ago. Hundreds of students and teachers risk their lives on a daily basis while commuting to and from school and colleges in this area. Apart from them, hundreds of local passengers use these risky chair-lifts daily to reach from one point to other in order to save time and avoid treacherous ground terrain where there are no roads are available to travel even for locals.
Apart from infrastructure, lack of adequate trained work force in disaster and crisis management is also a big challenge for tourism in KPK especially global tourism which can earn value able foreign exchange to the country. In Battagram incident, it took 3-5 hours (according to different reports) for Pakistan Army to initiate rescue operation due to lack of such facilities, training and infrastructure under local administration. NDMA is responsible authority for such operations but unfortunately even NDMA relies on Pakistan Army’s
Though lack of infrastructure is the key participant in the under exploitation of tourism potential in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, there are other reasons as well that discourage tourism in the province.
Inflation: The recent inflation in the country has made travel and tourism unaffordable for many tourists, leading to a decline in tourist numbers. Apart from inflation, the tendency of overcharging the tourists for quick profits also harm tourism business profiles.
Weather Conditions: Poor weather conditions, especially during the Eid holidays, have also contributed to a decrease in tourism in the northern areas of Pakistan Lack of Infrastructure: Many tourist destinations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are located in remote mountain areas that are not adequately equipped to deal with emergencies. This lack of infrastructure and facilities can deter tourists from visiting
Lack of Trained Personnel: The province may also face a shortage of trained personnel to cater to the needs of tourists particularly in crisis situation like floods and other emergencies, which impact the overall tourism experience adversely.
Lack of Proper Facilities: Insufficient facilities such as hygienic food, clean washrooms, and well-maintained hotels cause hardships for tourists and discourage them from visiting again.
The provincial government has formulated a Tourism Policy for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which aims to provide a framework for the development and promotion of tourism in the province. This policy includes measures to improve the quality of tourism services, protect the environment, and enhance the overall tourist experience. The presence of this tourism policy notwithstanding there is a need to address tourism infrastructure development and its associated challenges like an industry crisis to avoid incidents like Battagram in future which affects not only tourism as they send negative signal to the world about local facilities but also endanger precious local lives.
To fully exploit the tourism potential in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, it is essential to address these challenges by implementing measures such as:
Improving Infrastructure: Developing and improving infrastructure in remote areas to ensure the safety and convenience of tourists.
Infrastructure Development: It is imperative that developing basic road infrastructure is critical in KP for everyone; tourists or otherwise. A survey must be initiated to locate all the spot in the province where people use dangerous chair-lifts to traverse to and from work or homes and basic road infrastructure must be developed on war footing so that people can say goodbye to this dangerous way of daily commuting.
Training Programs: Providing training programs for locals to enhance their skills in hospitality, tourism management, and emergency response is the most critical requirement in the province.
Promotion and Marketing: Increasing efforts to promote and market the tourist attractions of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa both domestically and internationally. Everyone coming to visit KP must be aware who to contact in emergency.
Facility Development: Investing in the development of proper facilities such as hotels, restaurants, and washrooms to enhance the overall tourism experience.
By addressing these factors and implementing effective strategies, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa can fully exploit its tourism potential and attract more visitors to the province.
