PhD Theses and Dissertations

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Browsing PhD Theses and Dissertations by Author "Muhammad Bilal Malick"

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    The Role of Tourism in the Economic Development of Pakistan A Case Study of Northern Areas
    (1998) Muhammad Bilal Malick; Supervised by Dr. Naeem ur Rehman Khattak
    The present study, conducted with main focus on Northern Areas, was designed to: inquire into the state of tourism potentials; assess its socio-economic impact; and draw guidelines for minimisation of its adverse and maximization of beneficial impacts in future. The study is addressed to, but not mainlyfocused on, hypotheses that: (i) there is a positive relationship between tourism and economic development; (ii) the socio-culturalfactors and tourism are not necessarily inversely related; (iii) the intensity ofsocial, economic, environmental, and other impacts oftourism moves in sympathy with the level oftourists inflow expressed asproportionoflocal population in tourist receiving area. MAIN FINDINGS: The study, on the whole, brings out thefact that tourism has hadpositive impact on project area and that these promise to grow deeper and wider as tourism grows. Main findings in this respects are as follows: • Most of the tourists were domestic; inflow of foreign tourists is, however, positively upward. • Some 60% of tourists were males; majority belonged to 16-30 years age group; as many as 94% were educated; 88% visited the project area for the first time; 50% spent 4-8 nights in the project area. • The single largest category (35%) of tourists comprised of students/teachers, followed by government employees (31%), commercial employees (17%) and businessmen (3%). • Most tourists carried with them Rs. 8,000-10,000 per headfor visit to the Northern Areas. Majority of them spent around Rs. 300-400 per day per head. • The single largest number of local tourists came from NWFP (45%), followed by Punjab (41%), while among the foreign tourists the corresponding position is held by England (27.3%), followed by Germany (20.4%). •Tourism has positively affected agricultural sector of the economy. Total operated area under cultivation increased by 28% during last 10 years. Overall production ofcrops especiallyfruits increased by 782%; vegetables 510%; fodder crops 650%; wheat 31%; and maize 20%. Land management practices have improved too. Farmers cultivate all crops more scientifically than before. Use of mechanization on farms has increased nearlysix-folds. Average income from agricultural sector has increased from Rs. 15,00020,000 per annum in 1984, to Rs. 30,000-40,000 per annum in 1994. •Although agricultural sector is still the main provider ofjobs considerable expansion has taken place in off-farm employment and tourism development has made a major contribution in this respect.j •There were no reports of women engaged in tourism sector. However, they are now getting better job opportunities in health and education sector comparedto ten years before. •The project area has registered considerable improvement in infrastructure during 1984-94. There has been much expansion in banking (92%), communication facilities (203%) schools (316%), health facilities (121%), electricity (233%), sanitation (275%), water (103%), roads (83%) and housing (144%) during last ten years. These developments have facilitated tourism and are also to an important extent the outcome of tourism development policy of the government. •Mobility of local people has also increased. Visits tofamily andfriends have increased by 125%, visiting more places by 788% and utilization of modern vehicles by 362% during 1984-94. •Temporary and permanent out migration of local people has come down by 28% and47% respectively after 1984. However, temporary migration of local people to urban centers, within project area, forjob/business has increased by 153% and temporary inflow of outside people to project area for job/business has increased by 267% in last 10 years. •Tourism has had very little adverse impact on the level ofcorruption, dignity ofpeople, and goodwill towards foreigners in the area. Local controls are foundstill effective. • Some concern isfound among the locals as well as tourists about increase in deforestation, soil erosion and excessive hunting of the wild life in the area. The project area cannot withstandflow of mass tourism, overcrowding and excessive use ofplaces for recreation. •Tourism promotion has induced changes in consumption behaviour of the local population, with regard to certain types ofbeverages, vegetables, dairy products, andfashion accessories etc. The average consumption expenditure of sample family has gone up from Rs. 20,000-30,000 per annum to Rs.30,000-40,000 per annumin last ten years. • Rise in local people’s income and employmentlevel, to which tourism has made a good contribution, increase in their mobility, and their growing contacts with tourists from more developed regions of Pakistan, as well as foreign countries, have had a positive impact on their attitude towards, and perception of, modern education, modern medical practices (allopathic treatment) in preference to old ones, housing, sanitation etc. The quality of life has, thus on the whole, been improving due to these positive influences. CONCLUSIONS: Several important conclusions emergefromthis study’s findings on socio-economic impacts of tourism in the context of Pakistan in general and Northern Areas in particular. These conclusions are stated below with reference to the study’s hypotheses. I) Thereis a positive relationship between tourism and economic development. The study confirms this hypothesis. In the particular case ofNorthern Areas, tourism has proved to be one ofmajor catalysts ofinitiation and acceleration of development process, and this role will grow with further growth of tourism. All sectors of the project area’s economypresent positive readings. The farm sector has experienced significant expansionbothvertically and horizontally. Visibility ofnon-farm sector’s expansion is even greater. Thus, all told, a Significant rise in income and employment has taken place in the project area, more goods and services are available now than before, consumption patterns are changing, and the local economyis on the whole muchbetter placed than a decade ago. Thus, tourism has made a significant contribution to the area’s economy. II) The socio culturalfactors and tourism are not necessarily inversely related. The study'sfindings confirmthis hypothesis, but with reservations. In the particular context of the project area, little or no impact on the area’s overall social and cultural environments has been caused bytourists inflow yet. Some adverse impacts, on negligible scale, have been observed in localities which receive tourists in a relatively large number — and these are all urbanlocalities. But local institutions are still strong enoughto counter the negative impacts. The project area is not yet exposed to negative impacts in this sphere, because the tourists are relatively small in number. But, the hazards are bound to grow as tourists’ number relative to local population increases. Appropriate planning can, however, help minimize these hazards. III) The intensity of social, economic, environmental, and other impacts of tourism moves in sympathy with the level oftourists inflow expressed as proportion of local population in tourist receiving area. This hypothesis is confirmed by the present study. Infact this conclusion is embodied in hypotheses as discussed above. Tourism has begun positively impacting the project area’s economy. The strength of impacts is presently low, but it will increase with tourists inflow, repeat visits, and increase in stay. The adverse impacts are lowor negligible presently — such as erosion ofsocial values, sexual immorality, crimes, conspicuous consumption, etc. A definite positive association betweenthese negative impacts and level of tourists inflow is observable. Appropriate planning can, however, help minimize the same. Thus, to conclude, the above hypothesis in duly verified by the study’sfindings. Summing up the aforestated three inter-linked conclusions, it is concluded that tourism, if properly planned and kept within tourists receiving area’s tourists carrying capacity, performs the role of catalyst of development. It contributes positively to initiation and acceleration ofthe process ofdevelopmentandinits turn receives impetusfrom the same i.e; development. Therefore, tourism industry should be an integral component of development plans for areas that have tourists attractions, such as the Northern Areas.