ECOCLUB ecotourism news, Issue 26
Correspondents' Reports
Sustainable Tourism or Ecotourism. Does reality
substantiate the myth?
By Agha Iqrar Haroon, President Ecotourism Society,
Pakistan
Integrated tourism, to be successful, must promote sustainable
development by establishing a durable productive base that allows local
inhabitants and service providers to enjoy rising standards of living".
This was said by Mr. David Berkin in one of his papers in 1996 when the concept
of Ecotourism was shaping up and word used for sustainable tourism development
was "Integrated" Tourism. Now I am sure that word "Ecotourism
has taken its place. Sustainability, environmental management and ecotourism.
Does reality substantiate the myth?". There is no doubt that people
consider "Ecotourism" as "sustainable Tourism". Ecotourism
for me is a tool which ensure ecological, environmental, economical and cultural
friendly tourism. I believe that Ecotourism is activity controlled by local
community of any respective area where tourism activities are being generated.
Can it be possible? Are local poor communities of mountain areas being involved
in decision making of tourism activities? Who is planning tourism activities for
mountain areas? Who is getting benefits out of tourism? Who is selling tours to
mountain areas? Who is buying tours to mountain areas? Can sustainability be
achieved without the active participation of local communities? These are
serious questions who come in my mind when I talk about Pakistan as Role Model.
Before we see how can integrated tourism be achieved? . And what types of
policies can be formulated for getting this target; I must say that we should go
into detail nature of tourism business in mountain areas. It may be mentioned
here that Mountain Areas all over the world have similar problems like
deforestation, land utilization, unplanned growth of tourism industry and
mushroom growth of accommodations. And most of all-----brain drain situation due
to lack of financial resources and limited job opportunities. Tourism is
marketed internationally but it is "consumed" at the point of
production-----destinations. Integrated tourism or whatever you call is possible
when: Consumer (tourists) respects for "integrated Tourism". Producer
(operators) understands threats being faced by area where she/he is planning and
operating tours.
Product (respective areas--destinations) has sense of
sustainable tourism and care for ecosystem and cultural norms. There is no doubt
that Tourism has become an important sector for developing countries seeking to
maximize foreign exchange earnings, increase employment and secure financial
resources to conserve natural and cultural heritage. However, situation is
different in Pakistan where mountainous areas are owned by certain influential
families who are enjoying almost 70 percents benefits while common people have
access to only 30 percent of benefits of tourism. Big tour operators and
government sector are also there to take their share. Common people are provided
jobs on daily basis or on season basis by tour operators and by Pakistan Tourism
Development Corporation (PTDC) that owns biggest chain of motels in Northern
Areas of Pakistan and operates Pakistan Tours Limited (PTL). Tourism industry
has also faced another negative situation during the last 2 decades while some
investors with huge amounts of ill-gotten money invested in small hotel and
medium hotel industry. These people do not care about basic of tourism because
their interest was to whiten their money not to run hotels/motels. In majority
of cases, they are not running their hotels rather they have given contracts to
other people to run their businesses. In this conditions, people living in big
cities are involved in running hotels and local people work only as daily wages
workers and top and mid management of hotels come from big cities. There is no
law, which can stop this practice, and I do not think that there can be any law
to stop this exploitation of local because we are living in open market era.
There is another very important factor in tourism industry that is its marketing
mechanism. Decisions made by tourists and the industry in the originating
countries can assist or harm local communities who are not being involved when
tour is being planned, marketed, sold and bought. Inappropriate tourism
development can result in local people losing access to water, land and communal
areas, and to the creation of tourist enclaves and to social pollution. I can
give you example of Kalam area where almost 81 percent hotels/motels and
accommodations are owned/run by people living in big cities and local have no
access to big tour operators. They cannot stop them to send "more
people" to their already ruined, polluted and degenerated land. The
positive contribution of tourism is significant, but there are a number of
challenges to be met if the potential for sustainable local development and
poverty elimination, through the localization of benefits, is to be realized.
These challenges include issues of ownership, economic leakage (from the local
economy and through imports), local employment, benefit distribution, social and
environmental impacts and dependency. These problems can only be effectively
addressed at the destination level with the active participation of the local
communities, tour operators and government agencies. Rapid and sustained tourism
growth and the search for new destinations mean that more and more communities
will be affected by the tourism industry. This provides opportunities for
economic development, but there are also costs to be minimized. The demand side
drives the industry; however, the sustainability of the sector at the
destination is dependent upon some public control over the effects of the
industry on the environment and socio-cultural structure of the area. It is the
natural and cultural heritage of the area and the living culture of the local
people that attract tourists. The negative impacts of tourism on the environment
and local communities need to be managed and the adverse impacts mitigated in
order to maintain the asset. A tourism monoculture adversely affects the
inherent quality of the destination and over-dependence on tourism increases the
economic vulnerability of the area to decisions made elsewhere by consumers and
investors. Tourism development frequently brings with it demands for goods and
services which are not produced in the local economy. These goods and services
are then soured outside of the local area, often internationally, and only a
small proportion of the expenditure remains in the local economy. This is a
particular problem in mountain areas. These leakage's reduce the development
impact of tourism, whereas the development of linkages results in the creation
of more jobs and opportunities to locals. I am of the view that unless
integrated tourism actively incorporates the local society into service planning
and provision, and includes programs to meet the fundamental needs for income
and employment for all people in the region, the special qualities of the any
area may be damaged. We have example of Murree Hills and we would face the same
situation in Kaghan Valley very soon. Kaghan is an example of feudal authority
on Tourism business where only tow or three families are operating business and
are beneficial of tourism while common people are not involved and they do not
get benefits of Tourism. They get only landslides due to deforestation,
pollution due to massive traffic and degenerated environments due to unplanned
growth of motels. Situation could be same in North but international agencies
like AKRSP people and other played very positive and effective role to save
nature, culture and traditions in Hunza and other areas. In all these areas,
tourism was generated, operated, looked after by influential people who had
money to operate hotels, transports and offices in big cities for marketing.
Common man of these areas was never involved in planning, executing or taking
care of tourism activities. However, things are improving here now. I am of the
view that Integrated tourism must do more than to create a series of activities
to attract visitors, offering them an opportunity to interact with nature in
such a way as to make it possible to preserve or enhance the special qualities
of the area while allowing local inhabitants and future visitors to continue to
enjoy these qualities. They must also establish a durable productive base to
allow the local people and service providers to enjoy a sustainable standard of
living while offering these services. The study of integrated tourism offers
many opportunities to reflect on the importance of sustainability, and the
possibilities of implementing approaches, which move us in a new direction. But
it also suggests that there are significant obstacles. Overcoming these
obstacles requires more than well-intentioned policies; it requires a new
correlation of social forces, a move towards broad-based democratic
participation in all aspects of life. Strategies to face these challenges must
respond to the dual challenges of insulating these communities from further
encroachment and assuring their viability. The obstacles are an integral part of
the world system, a system of increasing duality, polarized between the rich and
poor --nations, regions, communities, and individuals. A small number of nations
dominate the global power structure, guiding production and determining welfare
levels. The remaining nations compete among themselves to offer lucrative
conditions that will entice the corporate and financial powers to locate within
their boundaries. Similarly, regions and communities within nations engage in
self-destructive forms of bargaining --compromising the welfare of their workers
and the building of their own infrastructure-- in an attempt to outbid each
other for the fruits of global growth. People who come to Pakistan from rich
countries do not go where we offer them to go. They plan their tours and direct
us to follow their itineraries. They are much interested in North---the most
fragile ecosystem of Pakistan. We have to follow their instructions. Well
educated tourist coming from most advanced nations who cry for "sustainable
tourism" should ask their tour operators following questions before they
book their tours: Do they (tour operators) provide information about endangered
species and illegally traded products? Are they (tour operators) members of
networks and coalitions such as Educational Communications' Project Ecotourism?
Do they (tour operators) inform their clients about local customs, dress and
behavior patterns so that they can be observed? Do they (tour operators)
evaluate the effects of their trips on the local ecosystems and local
inhabitants, and are they willing to share the results? Do they (tour operators)
transport educational materials to local schools and equipment to mountain
clinics? Do the trips strictly observe local regulations? Are the hotels,
transport agencies, restaurants and shops to be patronized locally owned? Do
they engage in unethical activities, such as keeping captive animals on the
premises? Do the newer hotels fit into the local natural settings? Do they
reflect cultural motifs in their architectural design? Are they constructed of
native materials? I am of the view that an alternative development model
requires new ways to encourage the direct participation of common people and
indigenous communities in a program of job creation in mountainous areas to
increase incomes and improve living standards. However, things are otherwise in
Pakistan. Tour operators sitting in big cities like Islamabad and Karachi and of
course in Lahore plan groups and send people to North. They decide the fate of
areas without involving locals. Locals just act as porters, guides, drivers and
cooks. There is no strategy of democratic participation for mountain
diversification and productive improvement in Pakistan and newly developed
Master Tourism Plan is completely silent about this very important issue.
Sustainable development is an approach to productive reorganization that
encompasses the combined experiences of local groups throughout the world. The
techniques for implementation vary greatly among regions and ecosystems. A
single common denominator pervades this work: the need for effective democratic
participation in the design and implementation of projects. For organizations
involved in projects of sustainable development in mountain areas, the conflict
will center around control of mechanisms of local political and economic power,
and the use of resources. The struggle to assure a greater voice in the process
for peasants, indigenous populations, women, and other underprivileged
minorities, will not assure that their decisions will lead to sustainable
development. But broad-based democratic participation is the best way to create
the basis for a more equitable distribution of wealth, one of the first
prerequisites for forging a strategy of sustainable development. Central to the
debate on tourism and development in my opinion should be issues of how
employment and other benefits to destination areas can be maximized at the local
level, and how negative social and environmental impacts can be minimized. Since
the 1950’s Pakistan has received increasing numbers of international tourists,
largely from developed countries. In 1996 developing countries had 31% of world
international tourist arrivals a gain of more than2% between 1990 and 1996.
Rising standards of living, declining long-haul travel costs, increasing holiday
entitlements, changing demographics and strong consumer demand for exotic
international travel have resulted in significant tourism growth to developing
countries with international visits to the developing world accounting for 25%
of the global total. Between 1985 and 1995 average gross receipts per tourist
arrival increased by 117% in developed countries, in the developing countries
the increase was only 75%. Can government policies force people to eat locally
made food, jams and bread? Can government policy force tour operators to plan
their tours with the consultation of locals? I am sure answer of these two
questions is one big No as we live in "Open Market" situation.
Therefore in my opinion, integrated tourism and its success factors for ensuring
local economic benefits in a tourism sector are depending upon beyond the
control of governments or their agencies but depend upon the role of tourist,
tour operators and market managers. When we see the situation on ground,
following questions and answers come on the surface. Q: Who is planning tourism
and tours? A: people living in Islamabad and big cities are planning tours and
tourism. Q: Who is getting benefits out of tourism? A: People who have resources
and sources to plan and operate tourism and tours. What should be done?
Government should invest revenues on development of social infrastructure in
mountain areas from where the same revenues were generated. Existing rules of
tour operations must be amended to ensure the maximum participation of local
people. Tourist groups should understand that they should not visit over sold
areas. Tour operators should not think about "today’s" income but
should take care of future as well. Local people should develop their
"pressure groups" to get their maximum share out of tourism income.
Public sector (PTDC, STC) should encourage use of local edibles and locally made
products in their motels/hotels. They should also provide job opportunities to
local instead of "importing manpower from big cities. There should be a
heavy tax on sale of products of multinational companies in mountains areas to
discourage usage. There should be complete ban on construction of any building
in mountain areas, which is not planned in accordance with local style and
material. Government sponsored small institutions be opened in remote mountain
areas for providing training to local youth in the field of tourism, guide
training, house keeping and tour operations. Talking ideally and
philosophically, I am of the view that following points should be considered
whenever we plan to get positive results:
1. Which action approach is needed to
cope with existing conditions?
2. The use of Experts.
3. Informed participation
is essential for development planning.
4. Preventive approach development
planning.
5. Dynamic/ new approaches to planning.
6. Change for planning to
process.
7. What needs to be addressed, identification of issues needs to be
taken up with the help of experts.
8. Methods for identifications,
implementations according to situations.
9. Well motivated/interested work
force.
10. The new role of the communities.
11. Coping with “outside
influences” brought in by the process itself.
12. Creation of regional
identities.
13. Development of mechanism for enforcement and implementation.
14.
Strengthen regional identifications and formulation of regional vision.
15.
Technical assessment of projects identified.
16. Economic viability, continuity
of project identified.
17. Ensure flexibility in the design of plans.
18.
Capacity building at the grass root level.
19. Good governance.
20. Formulating
policy
21. Change in attitudes and behavior.
22. Conformity with land revenue
systems in the regions.
23. Respect for local traditions, values and religion.
24. The planning process must be in accordance with the devaluation process.
25.
Recognition of the traditional ways with modern day requirements.
26. Selection
of appropriate technologies.
27. Development of marketing strategies.
If you do
not consider above mentioned issues, sustainable development would just myth not
reality at least in mountain areas.
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