THE KPK govt. of PTI has decided , according to news paper reports, to establish an Authority to promote Tourism in the province. It is a good initiative and has to be appreciated but much work is required in this field to attract tourists towards destinations in the province which are situated in distant districts and access to those destinations is not easy but an adventure. This Authority has to do a good deal of home work before formulating rules and taking measures. There are many kinds of tourism such as:
- Adventure tourism ( Mountaineering, trekking, jeep Safaris, snow boarding, exploring, paragliding etc.)
- Cultural tourism ( Visits to sites of cultural heritage, Buddhist or Kalash culture fans etc.)
- Research tourism ( Research scholars that come mostly from abroad as well as Pakistanis )
- Religious tourism ( the Sikhs and Hindus from India and elsewhere etc. or Muslim pilgrimages)
- Eco tourism ( that a tourists/ trekker must not disturb ecology and leave only his foot print )
- Drug tourism ( Many people travel for drugs and prowl for dens through their own network)
- Sex tourism ( as in certain cities outside Pakistan but not for our homeland)
- Geo tourism- prospecting- by geologists and investors
- Spa Tourism.- hot water baths , special springs of therapeutic effects
- Antiques tourism like the one I met a man from Mroi who worked at a site in Arkari
- University students/ of Botany / tourism depts. (Must be involved)
In fact there are two components of Tourism that need be catered for;
- Domestic tourism is to be given first priority but our domestic tourists demand good roads to drive their own cars with their families and in this case our domestic tourists is not aware of the SENSE of tourism. He or she does not care for travel etiquettes such as they spread trash instead of cleanliness vs. foreign tourists who carry all trash in shopping bags and keep in their pockets till they reach trash bins and drop it into the bins- this SENSE is not yet developed in our domestic tourists ..and related matters like these have to be publicized in all types of media to train potential tourists, at school, college, University, Madaaris levels. This is important and domestic tourists always expect high level facilities which are missing in our tour destinations hence they are disappointed and give bad report of a tour so this discourages potential clients.
- For foreign tourists facilities count little. They are already trained and adjust easily but our present Tourism Policy is not Foreigner FRIENDLY as Visa policy is very intricate/ NOCs are discouragingly improper so this sector has to be tackled carefully after consultation with authorities.
As far as Mountaineering is concerned foreign climbers should be given ONE WINDOW OPERATION as they have limited time and gigantic task to climb a high peak and they stay far far away from human settlements so their needs are greater hence deserve more friendly behavior from all stake holders. Other adventure tourists like hikers local or foreign be encouraged to abide by rules and the rules need be friendly. Restricted ZONE rule must be abolished right away.
In order to erect a smooth structure for this Industry all stake holders- Govt. functionaries, transporters, Hoteliers, guides, tour operators, rest/guest house owners, travel guide book writers, home stay stake holders etc. should be invited to give out put in the light of their experiences to make this bid a success.
What Chitral offers:
- Adventure Tourism 2 Culture Tourism 3 Geo Tourism 4 Wild life Tourism Spa Tourism
- Antiques Tourism 7. Research Tourism
Prof. Rahmat Karim Baig, Chitral
