The tourism industry of Pakistan has seen a recent boost the citizens of Pakistan cannot be happier about this. Our country is beautiful, there is no doubt about it, and there are enough beautiful vistas in Pakistan to be the tourism hub of the world – from mind-blowingly humongous mountain ranges in the Northern regions of KPK, Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan to the pristine beaches in Sindh and Balochistan to the lush green plains of Punjab, Pakistan has it all. Thus no wonder there has been a massive growth in the number of tourists who visit these places from within Pakistan as well as from foreign countries. But this recent boost in the tourism industry has sees a dichotomy between the positive impacts and the negative impacts, both of which cannot and should not be ignored.
Also check out: 7 Must See Beautiful Natural Phenomena in Pakistan
POSITIVE IMPACTS OF THE GROWTH IN TOURISM IN PAKISTAN:
Two of the biggest positive impacts of the growth of tourism industry in Pakistan includes the economic benefits to our country as well as the betterment of our image as a peaceful and loving country in the world. Pakistan is a beautiful country with welcoming people who are beautiful inside out and the world needs to see it for themselves by visiting it.
Another benefit which is of huge importance is the fact that Pakistan boasts a huge number of amazing indigenous and endemic species that need conservation efforts and these conservation efforts can be made a lot easier if we get funds for those efforts. Now how will tourism provide those funds? The answer lies in the fact that expose of those species to the international community will ensure future of wildlife tourism in the country, which earns a lot as well as spreads awareness about those species. Many international organisations might also be interested in helping us save those species.
Pakistan also has a lot of National Parks which are a tourist attraction. So also read: National Parks in Pakistan – Fauna, Flora and Importance.
NEGATIVE IMPACTS OF THE GROWTH IN TOURISM IN PAKISTAN:
One of the biggest negative impacts of growth of tourism in Pakistan is the pollution these tourists leave behind in those beautiful places, especially in the form of rubbish. Of course most of these places don’t have dustbins to help you dispose off your garbage easily and quickly but even when there are many people don’t seem to care. This not only destroys the natural beauty of that area but also exposes the animals and birds of that area to danger which may eat this rubbish, including plastic waste.
Boost in tourism has also led to unplanned development, especially in northern areas of Pakistan, so to learn more about it, check out: Impacts of Unplanned Development on Northern Areas of Pakistan.
Another negative impact is the fact that people don’t care about the plants and destroy them by driving over them or treading over them, and some even cut trees and smaller plants for firewood when camping. This can damage the plants of those regions. And lastly, the most infuriating negative impact of tourism is the uncontrolled illegal hunting of animals and birds by tourists, which may result in extinction of already endangered or critically endangered species.
For more information, read: Environmental Damage Due to Tourism Industry of Pakistan
WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT IT?
Now the big question, what can we do about it? We can’t stop visiting these places and we also don’t want people to stop visiting these places as tourism is an extremely important sector for any country’s economy and image in the world, so what can we do about it? Well, the answer is simple: we can take care of our shared cultural and natural heritage and consider it our moral and patriotic duty to preserve and conserve it. How you ask? Well, here are some Do’s and Don’t’s which if you follow them when on a vacation will solve all the issues mentioned above in this article.
DO’S FOR BEING A RESPONSIBLE TOURIST
- Carry a bag for putting your garbage in when out in touristy places. In this way you will help in keeping those places clean.
- Take pictures of the beautiful plants, animals and birds there and post them on social media for all your friends to see.
- Pick up litter if you see any and put it in your garage bag.
- Politely tell other people not to litter in these places.
- In case you are camping there and make a fire, make sure you put out that fire completely to prevent any accidental forest fires.
DON’T’S FOR BEING A RESPONSIBLE TOURIST
- Don’t litter in these places.
- Don’t cut trees or plants and don’t tread on plants.
- Don’t agitate or hurt animals and birds.
- Don’t hunt birds and animals.
- Don’t write your name or initials on rocks, caves or trees etc. It simply destroys the beauty of these places and is no way useful for you to be very honest.
- Don’t annoy the local people of that area and respect their customs and traditions.
Also read: Plastic Crisis: An Emerging Threat to Mountain Ecosystem
So please don’t forget to keep all these things in mind when travelling around your beautiful country. Remember it is YOUR country and your country is your responsibility. So better start taking this responsibility and travel and vacation responsibly.
Also check out: Digitalizing Tourism Industry in Pakistan – Trends, Challenges and Recommendations
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