Tourism is one of the most important industries in any country that helps to boost its economy by using its areas that attract the human eye. It also assists to achieve political and environmental aims by making cordial relations with other nations. The paper aims to discuss a comparative study between Pakistan and Maldives tourism and its impacts on their economies and environment. Pakistan has an abundance of distinct natural reservoirs which makes Pakistan a good tourist destination in the world. Pakistan has recently gone through great security turmoil coupled with political instability that had an adversarial effect on Pakistan’s tourism industry. However, the tourism industry of Pakistan has seen an increased focus and improvements under the new government of Pakistan Tehreek E Insaf aimed at developing the tourism industry to its full potential. Pakistan needs such policies which will be helpful for the development of tourism and the environment as well. Maldives is also a world-renowned tourist destination because of its unique islands and tourism-driven economy. Its policies are better than Pakistan’s as it ensures strict implementation of the policies for sustainable tourism. The only thing that Pakistan lacks is a properly designed policymaking to lift its tourism industry having enough capacity to back up Pakistan’s already stagnant economy.
Introduction
Tourism has a very close relationship with the environment; through tourism, we can explore the hidden places of nature which increases the importance of the environment. Tourists are always attracted to those environments where diversity is found with unique characteristics. It’s a fact that human nature is fond of witnessing different and distinctive areas. Tourists have different preferences, For instance, cultural heritage; some show their interest in hiking, tracking, hunting, fishing, flora and fauna, beaches, etc. The good fortune of Pakistan is that its geographic location along with its distinct areas suitable for tourism because Pakistan has a richness of culture, natural beauty, and multi seasons which are necessary elements to promote tourism. As we know that tourism not only enhances the importance of the environment but also boosts the economy as well. It is accepted known today that tourism is one of the industries that can help countries to achieve their environmental, social, and economic aims rather it plays a key role to make cordial relations between nations. Prime Minister Imran Khan has made increasing tourism a cornerstone of his agenda and investing in this industry to make tourism’s future bright and progressive. However, despite all these efforts and opportunities, Pakistan is not getting benefits as expected because of many loopholes in our policies. A good model to study is Maldives which is one of the most dominant countries in which tourism is the main industry and contributes about 32% to its GDP, and 70% of its foreign exchange earnings. It also accounts for 30% of the Government’s revenue. Maldives has used tourism to support its continuous economy although it has comparatively fewer modes of tourism vis a vis Pakistan which has distinct places, the only ingredient required is to formulate policies aimed at enhancement of tourism to produce fruitful results for our environment and economy.
Environment and tourism
Environment and tourism are highly interdependent because tourism is related to both the physical and socio-cultural environment in which all the activities are interlinked and dependent on each other. Initially, the main source of physical tourism began when the Greeks and Romans used to move from place to place for getting experience. Over time, the nature of tourism evolved and its main reason was the industrial revolution. This has also changed the meaning given to tourism, and now tourism is a sign of luxury. Tourism positively impacts nature because it affects the human mind, body, and soul, which is necessary for a fit and healthy life, and these healthy people can create a cordial environment. Through tourism, a person gets closer to nature and can easily understand the importance of nature, ponders to fix problems, and saves nature at a personal level. Tourism allows interaction with “live” flora and fauna that they have seen to date on television, they get a great motivation to indulge in the environment and try to save the animals and plants from being extinct and becoming endangered.
Right on the other hand with the development of tourism, environmental threats are also increasing day by day, no doubt the negative environmental effects of tourism are imminent because of poor management, it puts a lot of pressure on the environment in which land, natural habitat, seas, atmosphere are all effecting. It results in increased land, water, air, noise pollution, loss of natural habitat, soil erosion, and extinct of species. All these biological resources are affected and are the main source of the tourism industry. Tourism also creates enormous pressure on local resources which disturbs the balance of supply and demand e.g. food, energy, etc. Most importantly, the forests are seen to suffer a lot, deforestation is often caused due to excessive construction of tourist Centre, many collections of wood and fuel production for tourist usage and according to research tourism contributes 5% of the total emission of global greenhouse gas and 90% of gas emission due to transportation in this industry.
Tourism and economy
Tourism is one of the world’s largest industries and it can be the backbone of a country’s economy. According to a recent UN report, in over 150 countries, tourism is one of the five top industries. Government pursues tourism as an economic policy because it brings foreign exchange, generates employment, and creates economic activity. According to a recent world tourist and travel council (WTTC) report published in 2019, US$8.9 trillion contributed to the world’s GDP i.e. Almost 10.3% of global GDP. 330 million jobs i.e. 1 in 10 jobs around the world. US$1.7 trillion in visitor exports (6.8% of total exports, 28.3% of global services exports and US$ 948 billion in capital investment (4.3% of total investment)
Foreign exchange earnings are the biggest benefit of tourism to boost the economy, especially for developing and under-developing countries, tourism is the best way to exchange currencies because those currencies have a high market value than the domestic ones. With the development of tourism, the creation of employment also increases. Hotels, restaurants, and transport agencies are getting benefits. Besides, many people are getting jobs indirectly which are associated with these hotels restaurants, and travel agencies. Tourism supports 7% of the world’s workers.
The above chart explains the rise of capital by tourism which will be spent on the local communities which can help to improve the infrastructure and services of any community which makes tourist areas more attractive. With the investment in local communities, we can build good restaurants, and hotels and can construct good roads. In this way, the tourists become more willing to go to those places which can create more jobs for locals. Tourism is the best way to develop the infrastructure of the country, especially in villages because tourists show their interest to visit places with a rich cultural heritage and these are located in villages mostly which could be neglected by the government. When the government realizes that tourists are more interested in those places then the government starts to give more attention and privileges, due to this significance, villages’ infrastructure, security, hotels, and roads are improved which plays an important role to improve the local economy.
The private sector is gradually getting strength within the tourism industry. It can be extremely profitable and it makes a positive economic impact which will be owned by the local or at the national level e.g. Uber, NGOs, etc. Multinational companies are not much secure or reliable. These private sectors are providing a helping hand to the advancement of tourism.
Comparison between Pakistan and Maldives tourism in Pakistan
Once thought of as one of the world’s most dangerous countries, Pakistan is back in the spotlight, but this time as a budding tourist destination. The government — led by former cricket star Imran Khan — has an amazing opportunity to leverage this interest into economic development, but in a country prized for its natural beauty, sustainable growth must be a priority.
The multi-heritage culture and its diverse landscape is the main thing that fascinates tourists. Pakistan is naturally gifted with various types of nature in which all flora, fauna, mountains, plateau, deserts, seas, beaches, etc. are included. Tourism is a growing industry in Pakistan, even after considering it the most vulnerable country in the world. Pakistan is a somewhat different tourist spot than other countries because it has not only a special kind of tourist attraction like Maldives because Maldives is famous for only its islands and beaches which are the one and only tourist spots but Pakistan has a variety of tourist spots. First, the historical places are the most tourist-attractive places in which Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa a settlement dating back 5,000 years-exist in the Sindh region of Pakistan. Julian and Sirkap, dating back to the Buddhist Gandhara period which was excavated near Taxila are very famous as a tourist spots. Cultures are also playing a major role in tourism, for example, Northern areas have many ancient cultures in which many old fortresses and architecture are prominent e.g. Khaplu palace, Serena Shigar fort, and Baltit fort are well known on the world level. In Punjab, Lahore is famous for the hub of old cultural heritage in which Mughal architecture such as the Badshahi Masjid, Shalimar Gardens, Tomb of Jahangir, and the Lahore Fort. The natural beauty of Pakistan is the main source which fascinates tourist, Pakistan has a richness of diverse types of natural beauty in the Karakorum highway is to mention one, which follows the ancient silk road, the K2 which is the 2nd largest mountain in the world, and the Himalayan mountain range including Hindukush Pamir is the top most attracting places.
Besides, these breathtaking beautiful mountains, the Indus River, Gilgit Baltistan, Hunza valley, Neelam valley, Swat, Murree, Malam Jabba, Naran, and Kaghan. Margalla hills and Damn e koh which are located in Islamabad are also dominant places which are enhancing the beauty of Pakistan. Glaciers that are located in northern areas have great importance in tourism which plays a good role. Many games are also playing a good role to increase and promote tourism like the Shandur polo game is an ancient traditional game, skating and skiing on the glaciers of northern areas, and Jeep and camel safari in the Cholistan desert are also unique types of tourism.
Gwadar port is a newly emerging tourist place that has great importance because it is renowned for its warm water. The deep sea port of Gwadar is found on the southwestern Arabian Seashore in the coastal area of Baluchistan.
Rise and fall of tourism in Pakistan
Pakistan’s scenic beauty has historically attracted foreign and domestic travelers and tourists alike, but unfortunately, the tourism industry in Pakistan has gradually gone to downfall because of many reasons. Terrorism, militancy, government incompetence, corruption, and Pakistani media were the most imminent causes of the fall of tourism.
The 9/11 attacks in the US badly affected the tourism industry of Pakistan because many western governments issued many discouraging warnings against Pakistan and they built a narrative against Islam (Islamophobia) that’s why being an Islamic country Pakistan’s image as a tourist spot was dented, besides this terrorism, the militancy and the subsequent military operation in the North and South of Waziristan and in Swat, the tourism has mostly remained closed during the three years from 2007 to 2009. British Airways also ceased flying to the country after the massive bomb explosion outside of Marriot Hotel in the country’s capital Islamabad in 2008. The shooting of Malala Yousafzai in Swat in 2012, and the 2014 Army Public School massacre were also the big cause of the downfall of tourism. Besides, terrorism, poor policies, corruption, and our media was also responsible for the downfall of tourism.
In 2016, as terrorism recedes in Pakistan, tourism appears to be on the rise, the number of tourists was thrice times more than before, it was really good fortune for Pakistan. The current government has placed the promotion of the tourism industry as one of its top priorities; realizing that it has great potential and contribution to the country’s economy. The Government pledged to boost the private sector investments in eco-tourism, upgrade tourism infrastructure, open government guest houses, encourage the creation of jobs across the tourism industry and ensure enhanced facilities and make good visa policies. This government also set up an endowment fund with seed money of Rs1 billion to promote historic sites and resorts.
In 2019 British Airways returned as well, all these factors show the seriousness of the current government to revive tourism in Pakistan. Yet in recent years the country has been heavily invested in growing its tourism industry which is why Pakistan has been applauded by publications like Forbes and Condé Nast Traveler as a top destination for 2020 in December 2019. The visit of the royal couple Prince William and Kate Middleton in October 2019 received international media coverage, which put a good impression on the rise of tourism.
Impacts of tourism on Pakistan economy
The tourism sector of any country plays a vital role in its economy. Similarly, the more travelers visit Pakistan, the better its economy gets. After the revival of tourism in Pakistan, its economy is gradually increasing. In 2015, tourism constituted 2.8% of the total GDP (US$328.3 million), in 2016 the tourism sector earned US$7.6 billion and US$930.9 billion in 2017, respectively. In 2018, the tourism sector contributed US$986 billion, this year the number of tourists rose to 1.9 million. In 2018, the number of tourists rose to 1.9 million and the tourism sector contributed US$986 billion (5.9%). Improvement in the security situation of the country boosted Pakistan’s Tourism revenue. According to the report 0f World Travel and Tourism Council, the GDP is expected to grow 5.8% to Rs.1,727.7 billion (3.0 percent of GDP) by the year 2028. This report noted that the tourism industry will offer approximately 2,008,000 jobs directly.
This graph shows how much tourism contributes to Pakistan’s economy, with time tourism increasing and its direct effects on the GDP of Pakistan.
It is expected that the one Belt and one Road Initiative, which is creating a China-Pakistan economic corridor (CPEC) valued at $62 billion will help to improve infrastructure and promote tourism and trade relations that will strengthen our economy. Tourism is one of the most global economic sectors critically affected by the coronavirus pandemic. In all those sectors are severely affected which were connected with tourism and transportation as flights, hotels, public places, markets, and restaurants, as well as this pandemic gravely targeted daily wagers, poor and low-income employees. Covid-19 harmed the tourism community, especially porters, tour guides, and street vendors, all those who rely on tourism are affected badly. These factors directly affected our economy.
Negative impacts of tourism on Environment of Pakistan
Excess tourism can be harmful to our environment because it can put pressure on natural resources. It is fact that tourism brings prosperity to the region and it is a big source of economy and employment for the locals of the region but when tourism becomes unsustainable in nature, it has adverse effects on the environment. Excess tourism can create different problems like pollution (air, water, land, and noise pollution), solid waste and littering, releases of sewage, etc. With the increase in the number of tourists, transportation usage becomes high due to this air pollution increases day by day, as well as noise pollution also increases. High no. of vehicles noise and loud music create uncertainty in the natural environment, such noise is a source of distress for wildlife. The noise generated by tourist activities for a long-time can change the natural activity pattern of animals. Construction of hotels, restaurant, and other facilities are rapidly increasing, which leads to sewage pollution. Due to the lack of proper management of the sewage system, water reservoirs are severely affected. Sewage water converts freshwater into saline which is seriously affecting the flora, fauna, and the whole coastal environment. This pollution can also be injurious to human and animal health.
Tourism in Maldives
Maldives tourism is highly famous for its world-class resorts and its beautiful abundance of natural islands. It is situated in South West of Sri Lanka on the Equator and comprised of 1,190 tropical islands stretching over an area of 90,000 sq. Km. in Maldives, tourism started in 1972 with only two resorts namely, Kurumba Village and Bando’s island resorts. In the 1960s the UN WTTO rejected the Maldives as a tourist country because of poor management of the islands but it developed gradually because of its good policies.
Maldives has a unique policy regarding tourism one resort one island which provides maximum privacy to the guests. Guestrooms of Maldives have exceptional characteristics which are luxurious and each resort is self-contained facilities such as cold rooms, power plants, staff quarters, desalination plants, transport services, diving facilities, and sewage and waste disposal systems. Maldives’ climate is most suitable for tourism with an average of 30 degrees Celsius and it has many underwater coral gardens, turquoise-blue lagoons, white sandy beaches, and a 664 Km crystal clear water coastline are also the major elements of Maldives tourism. Maldives has as well a multicultural country in which African, Indian, British, and Asian are found. Due to the diverse culture, different types of festivities and activities are found on the islands including world-class surf, fishing, snorkeling and diving, whale and dolphin games and much more are the tourist attraction activities. Maldives is especially famous for honeymoons, wedding Ceremonies, spa retreats, Business and cruising, surfing, etc.
The Maldivian travel and tourism industry is mostly controlled by the private sector; those stakeholders operate all the management including local airlines, international airlines, etc. The central government does not actively interfere with the inner matter but acts as a regulatory body. The main reason for successful tourism is the alliances between these stakeholders to provide the best facilities to the tourist. Maldives tourism promotion board is playing a good role in the promotion of tourism through its different organizations and it’s mainly promoted in the UK, Germany, and Italy.
Impacts of tourism on Maldives economy
Tourism is the largest industry for economic growth in the Maldives. Before the 19th century, Maldives’ economy was based on three major industries, shipping, fishing, and tourism because 99% of its territory consists of water. Today only two industries play a major role to dominate the economy, fishing and tourism. Fishing plays a key role to create employment for the locals while tourism controls the major foreign exchange. Its economy is gradually increasing due to tourism; it contributes 34% to its GDP in the Maldives economy. According to the tourism ministry of Maldives, one-third of the government’s revenue and 70% of foreign exchange earnings are generated due to the contribution of the travel and tourism industry. Maldives’ economy is highly dependent on the tourism industry that’s why in covid-19 their policies were quite different from all other countries.
In the interim of covid-19 when all the countries opted to keep border restrictions in place, barring all international arrivals and nearly all departures. Some countries like Thailand, Australia, etc. hinted that their borders will remain closed until the end of the year. Some countries set conditions that passengers must have a negative corona test report. In July, Maldives open its border to everyone for tourism and also declared visitors would not need any corona-negative test report for entry nor any quarantine policy on the islands. This policy seemed in the tourism sector “a little bit crazy”. Tourism minister Abdullah Mausoom said, that their economy is mostly dependent on tourism so,” if we stop tourism, everything stops. We have no choice but to carry on”. In the beginning, they were confident to ensure the safety of visitors because they thought their geography is suitable for quarantine procedures but amidst Covid, they felt the cases are rising and they have to reconsider their decision. In August the visitors were required to have a negative test taken within 72 hours before they would be allowed in.
Despite all the efforts to remain open the borders, the number of visitors gradually decreased, within three months only 18,596 people have visited the country, a fraction of the pre-pandemic average of 141,000 tourists a month. Due to the sudden fall in tourist arrivals, their economy was severely affected, most people are out of their work because they were directly dependent on the tourism industry and it put pressure on the revenue of the government and decreased the value of Maldivian rufiyaa. Tourism contributes two-thirds of its total GDP and the World Bank estimated that its economy shrinks nearly by 9% due to covid-19.
Negative impacts of tourism on Environment of Maldives
As we discussed above the excess of tourism leads to the degradation of the environment. Like other countries, Maldives’ environment is severely affected by tourism because of negligence and poor management. With the number of tourists increasing, and to fulfill their requirements, they need to build new resorts. For the infrastructure, they have to remove the trees and many other organic things from the natural environment, which can directly disturb the environment. Climate change is also growing fast due to overpopulation which can be harmful to the coral reefs of islands when the temperature increases the coral reef become to expand and the water level increases and which can be threatening for the islands.
The massive number of tourists has also led to many other problems; garbage and contamination are increasing day by day in coastal areas which can help to grow algae and seagrasses. This algae and seagrasses can make the sea bed look dirty due to this the attraction becomes reduced. The activities, swimming, diving, and snorkeling can accidentally damage the coral reef’s life of water which is the main element of Maldives tourism. Fishing is directly linked with tourism, when tourists number increase, the fishing activity also increases and disturbs the ecosystem. Another negative effect is that, due to the abundance of tourist arrivals their soil top layer is removed, the infertility of soil is gradually increasing and it is unable to cultivate any type of vegetation.
Why we choose this topic for research
Generally, on this topic, many researchers have done their work but still, there are still lacunas that need to be filled. There are many research articles available on tourism, economy, and environment but this paper aims to study comparatively Pakistan and Maldives tourism. Their environments and mode of tourism are distinct from each other but, the similarity is that both countries are famous for tourism. Their natural resources or mode of tourism are different because Pakistan has multisource for tourism including mountains, verities of flora and fauna, lakes, deserts, plateaus, etc. Maldives tourism is mainly based on luxurious islands; it has fewer modes of tourism. Pakistan has a large number of natural reservoirs and modes of tourism but the tourism industry is not growing to produce helpful results for its economy. Maldives tourism is mainly based on a single mode, the luxurious islands, despite having only one single resource; the revenue generation is immense as compared to Pakistan. Attempts are also made to find out, which type of policies are being formulated and implemented by both countries for the safety of the environment.
Policies to overcome Environmental problems
In 1967, the first plan for Pakistan tourism was prepared with the help of the UN. In this plan, there was not given specific consideration for environmental protection and its conservation. At that time there was no regulatory body that could work for infrastructure management and planning for tourism and the environment. Currently, all public and private sector organizations’ projects are approved by the Planning Commission and its respective ministry. For the development of tourism projects, they all have to go through the PC_1 form which is approved by the tourism ministry.
In Pakistan, Mountain trekking is very famous from the beginning so, in 1983, the mountaineering code of conduct was prepared to monitor the degradation of the mountain’s environment. They made rules to conserve natural beauty, free from plastic pollution, and for saving wildlife. Pakistan Environmental Protection Act of 1997 is the basic cornerstone of Pakistan’s Environmental Law. This act established the top body of the Pakistan Environmental Protection Council, the function of which is to administer and implement the mandate of the 1997 act, and ensured control of all those activities which affect our environment directly and indirectly including the construction of infrastructure, water and soil issues, air quality and so on. All these steps should not go against or exceed the National Environmental Quality Standard.
Are these policies working?
These policies are good enough if they are implemented but unfortunately in Pakistan, it is not working well. Due to the falling economy, Pakistan tried to boost the tourism industry but no arrangements were made to develop sustainable tourism. Sustainable tourism is only possible if we take care of the environment and by saving natural resources. There are many reasons that policies are not working in Pakistan including, the corrupt mafia, the government’s negligence, lack of awareness, poverty, and lack of technology. Pakistan has to take steps and should follow these policies if it wants sustainable tourism otherwise there are chances that in the coming years, the tourism industry would again see a downfall and a destructed environment.
Policies of Maldives for sustainable tourism
Maldives has great importance in the tourism sector of the world because it makes many good policies for the conservation and sustainable use of the environment and its resources. In the Maldives, EPPA is the principal environmental law, it covers the broad area of the environment including, environmental impacts and land use development, species conservation, and biodiversity. Maldivian Land Act is also important to allocate the land for various uses. This act prevents the illegal use of land and safe from irregular infrastructure and preserves natural resources including gold, metals, jewelry, etc. For sustainable tourism, environmental quality is the necessary element that is only possible if we control pollution. The Maldives adopt policies including, upgrading and maintenance of incinerators, recycling of wastes, high technology composting, etc. Regulation Governing the Reclamation and Dredging of Islands and Lagoons of Maldives is also a type of policy regarding the environment. Regulation on Migratory Birds, Regulation on Cutting, Uprooting, Removing, and Transfer of Palms and Trees between Islands. Besides these policies, many others actively work on the development of tourism and for the safety of the environment.
Are these policies working?
If we compare the Maldives’ efforts for sustainable tourism as compared to Pakistan, it is in a far better position as compared to Pakistan. According to this research, Maldives is taking the tourism industry seriously, because their economy is mostly based on the tourism industry, that’s why Maldives has adopted long-lasting policies for sustainable tourism. Maldives has a single mode of tourism, it is an easy task for her to manage and implement all the policies. As compared to Pakistan, they are working on the sustainability of tourism but if we see at all the results, some grey areas are still found which are degrading the natural beauty including, coral reef degeneration and it is difficult to regenerate in less time.
Conclusion
Tourism is one of the main industries that drive the economy. Pakistan is, undoubtedly, a country full of natural resources and has a high room for tourism. Pakistan and Maldives both have tourism destinations and this industry is playing a good role in the economies of both countries. We know that Pakistan has multi-mode of tourism including mountains, deserts to lakes but the Maldives has a single mode of tourism which is islands. Despite having many natural reservoirs in Pakistan, tourism is still lacking behind, its economy is not taking benefits but the Maldives’ economy is getting profit from the tourism industry. Pakistan needs a better and well-managed policy towards tourists and tourism so that it can get as much as it can from this valuable resource. Pakistan should seek and study the policies of those countries which are now the best tourist attractions because most of those countries have no better places to visit compared to Pakistan but they give tourists and tourism so much importance that people wish and love to visit there.
