Tourism: Need for central coordination

Well, cherries have now started to blossom in the picturesque Hunza valley. That will commence domestic tourism season in the northern areas, which will peak sometime in July. But, given last year’s tourist rush sans adequate lodging and catering facilities, the hustle and bustle in the northern tourist hotspots will likely resemble an awful din than a memory serious-minded tourists would like to cherish.

Last season was a homerun for Pakistan’s domestic tourism, so far as visits to the northern areas are concerned. But speak to tourism professionals and many of them are found lamenting the ‘state of affairs’ that is threatening the country’s natural landscape. Based on background interactions, BR Research is getting the sense that Pakistan’s tourism industry has a problem of ‘structure’.

The tourism subject was devolved to the provinces in the mass devolution that resulted from the Eighteenth Constitutional Amendment (2010). The Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC) was stripped of its national mandate; it has been reduced to managing some two dozen lodging resorts key tourism districts. Left to themselves, among the provinces only Khyber Pakhtunkhwa produced its tourism policy in recent years. To put it mildly, tourism development is not receiving the attention it merits.

Best practices abroad suggest tourism sector has to be structured such that federal, state/provincial, and local governments work in complementary unison. Such coordination doesn’t exist in Pakistan, mainly due to lack of a platform for public stakeholders to sit together post devolution. Result is that while domestic tourism is on the rise (apparently due to better road access, improved security, and a better economy), tourism industry is developing, but it is directionless and unsustainable.

The starting point for the three government tiers – especially the federal government – is to understand the potential of tourism industry to create employment, generate economic activity (and tax revenues), and provide facelift to both urban spaces and the countryside. Tourism development is an opportunity as it cuts across some of Pakistan’s main challenges such as security, patchy physical infrastructure, and localised economic development.

Once that realization is there, the structure problem is not difficult to tackle. That is where the idea – promoted by some tourism experts – of creating a national tourism body carries merit. For the number of issues that plague the development of a sustainable tourism industry, roles and responsibilities can be assigned to the federal, provincial, and local-level bodies.

For areas that need uniformity, federal government ought to have the lead role. For instance, it is important to have uniform service standards for tourism services linked to hospitality and logistics. Similarly, tourism delegations from different parts of the country will fare better overseas if they market their regions under a federal umbrella, as is the norm elsewhere. The foreign office, for its part, must streamline process for tourist visas.

Federal government also has a role where tourism development on a large scale will inevitably throw up the question of ecological preservation. That’s a subject that is best regulated and enforced by a federal authority.

As for provinces, they should be free to develop their tourism development boards. Given their mandate and financial muscle, provinces must play the lead role in infrastructure development in and around tourism areas. Though situation has now somewhat improved, it is still a headache traveling on many of the roads and highways that lead to various tourism spots in the north. Then, it is the provincial law enforcement that will be in a better position to provide safety and security to tourists.

Local governments (LGs) also have work cut out for them. They can engage in public-private partnership for actual development of tourism spots, so as to accelerate their local economies. LGs can also monitor prices of hotel stays and restaurant meals. This can bring in competition among tourism districts. LGs also have to care for emergency services. Most important, local governments should have efficient waste management systems as well as penalties that help preserve the character of their tourist assets.

A national tourism body, represented by all regions and government tiers, can see to it that a proper structure and mandate is put in place at different levels. Once the structure is set right, provinces can have their own tourism development strategies to compete with each other. But to achieve that, a realization of tourism’s potential must be deeply felt among the ruling politicians. Otherwise, tourism will continue to grow on its own and diminish the country’s tourism assets at a faster pace.