Tourism’s impact on Pakistan’s highlands
Northern Pakistan, encompassing AJK, Gilgit-Baltistan, and the upper parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, is the most visited region of Pakistan. Visited by both national and international tourists and explorers, this region is home to diverse biodiversity, landscapes, and natural beauty. High-altitude snow-covered peaks, lush green valleys and meadows, alpine rivers and forests, spectacular scenery, adventurous routes, welcoming and loving people – that’s what the region offers to its explorers.
Kashmir alone attracted over 2.02 million tourists and over fifty thousand foreign visitors in 2023 according to some reports. According to other reports, Gilgit-Baltistan was visited by over 2 million tourists in 2022. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was visited by around 17 million visitors in 2023. These millions of visitors heading towards northern Pakistan explore its scenic natural beauty while leaving behind their footprints.
The tourism sector has brought numerous changes to Northern Pakistan. From economic boosts to cultural exchanges, tourism has left behind multiple positive and negative footprints. Let’s discuss the impacts of tourism on Northern Pakistan.
As tourism emerged in the region, it boosted the region’s economy. Now, a major portion of the region’s economy is based on tourism, which serves as the primary source of income for many northerners. With the emergence of tourism, the region’s infrastructure also developed, benefiting the native inhabitants. Motorways, highways, transport services, bridges, and public services have been rapidly developed, providing ease to the local population. Tourism has brought advanced facilities, public services, educational institutes, and technological advancements to the region. The hotel industry, parks, and markets have also been developed to advance levels to facilitate tourism, providing several job opportunities to locals and contributing to the local economy. Thus, the economy of Northern Pakistan heavily relies on tourism.
The tourism sector has also facilitated cultural exchange between the local natives and visitors. Previously, underprivileged and underdeveloped regions had little to no direct contact with urban or foreign cultures. However, thanks to tourism, northerners have experienced cultural exchanges with people from other regions. Previously, locals might have felt uncomfortable sharing their natural surroundings with visitors, but now they happily welcome visitors to explore their region as their economy relies on tourism. They have also become more aware of cultural diversity and feel confident interacting with people from other cultures.
Another positive impact that the tourism sector has brought to the North is the acknowledgment of the importance of nature and natural beauty. People in the North now prioritize taking care of their environment. They refrain from causing harm to nature and often make efforts to keep it clean and beautiful. More plants are being planted, pollution is being reduced, natural beauty is being conserved, and biodiversity and wildlife are being preserved by the northerners. Additionally, they promote the natural beauty of their regions through online platforms to attract more visitors.
The heritage of the region is also becoming more preserved and protected, as the natives now protect and preserve their historical, cultural, traditional, and linguistic heritage. This way, the heritage benefits and lasts for a long time. Northerners have developed an interest in uncovering and safeguarding their undocumented history through local literature. Small languages and cultures have made efforts to showcase their cultures to the rest of the world.
The major negative impact of tourism on the region is the erosion of local cultures and languages. As the young generations of the north tend to adopt new cultures and languages that are more common worldwide compared to their own. These changes are leading towards the extinction of local and ethnic cultures and languages. Northern Pakistan is home to one of the world’s most diverse linguistic hubs, with dozens of unique local languages existing in the region, some with fewer than 50,000 native speakers. These endangered languages are dying out, and the country’s dominant languages are being rapidly adopted by the locals.
Environmental degradation is also a major issue for northern Pakistan that has come with tourism. Beautiful and spectacular travel destinations are often filled with tons of litter. Visitors leave behind significant pollution that affects not only the local environment but also causes environmental and health-related risks. Another negative impact of tourism in the region is economic seasonal fluctuation. As the region only attracts visitors on seasonal occasions, people face economic instability during the rest of the year.
The tourism sector is emerging and growing more rapidly than ever in the region, creating better economic hopes for the future. However, the other issues that have been discussed above also demand serious attention. These issues and crises require crucial solutions not only to facilitate and promote the tourism industry more broadly but also to protect and preserve local identity, cultures, and languages. Environmental issues need special attention as they are causing international impacts, leading to fatal and devastating catastrophes.
(Ubaid Sahil can be reached at ubaidsa9@gmail.com).