Tourism

Geography of Pakistan · Industrial development. The idea in plain words, the rules to remember, the mistake to avoid and a worked example, written and checked by Mega Lecture.

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The idea

Tourist attractions are of two kinds. Natural attractions are made by nature: high peaks, glaciers, lakes, green valleys, deserts and beaches. Cultural attractions are made by people: ancient sites, forts, mosques, shrines, museums, crafts and festivals.

Tourism is a tertiary industry. It creates jobs for guides, drivers and hotel staff, brings in foreign exchange and leads to better roads and services. Money spent by tourists passes on to farmers, shopkeepers and craft workers.

A feasibility question asks whether the benefits outweigh the costs. The limits include a short season in the mountains, poor roads, security worries, damage to the environment, and profits that leave the area.

Rules to remember

Natural: K2 and Nanga Parbat, Hunza, Swat and Kaghan valleys, Lake Saiful Muluk, the coast.
Cultural: Mohenjo-daro (Sindh), Taxila (Gandhara Buddhist ruins), Lahore Fort and Badshahi Mosque, Makli tombs near Thatta, Nankana Sahib (birthplace of Guru Nanak).
Benefits: jobs, income, foreign exchange, better infrastructure, a market for crafts and farm produce.
Problems: litter, sewage, tree felling, seasonal jobs, higher local prices, pressure on local culture.
GDP: the value of all goods and services produced inside a country in one year.
GNP: GDP + income earned abroad by the country's people and firms − income earned in the country by foreigners.
Snow closes many mountain roads and passes in winter, so mountain tourism is mainly a summer industry.

Common mistake

Students mix up GDP and GNP. GDP counts what is produced inside the country, whoever owns it; GNP counts what the country's own people and firms earn, wherever they are.

Worked example

Two hotels in a mountain valley earn the same amount. Hotel A is owned locally and buys its food from nearby farms. Hotel B is owned abroad, imports much of its food and sends its profit home. Which helps the valley more?

Hotel A's profit stays with a local owner, who spends it in the area.
Its food orders give income to local farmers, so the money is passed on again.
Much of hotel B's income leaves the valley as payment for imports and as profit sent abroad.

Answer: Hotel A, because more of the tourists' money stays in the valley and reaches other local businesses.

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