Like other countries of the world, Pakistan is also gifted with the potential to attract tourists to different areas. Pakistan has its unique latitudinal difference from zero to 8611 meter, culture, climate and relief feature. It is ideal for rest and recreation, for adventure and for cultural tourism. Its people are friendly and the cost of living here is comparatively low as compared to other Asian countries.
In Northern Pakistan, there is great potential for tourism. The province of KPK and the northern areas of Pakistan form the hub for mountain tourism in the country, teeming with Majestic Mountain, snow cover peaks, valleys, swift-flowing mountain streams, jewelled lakes and the stupendous Karakoram glaciers, the attraction for adventure sports and recreation and enthusiast are many and varied. The attraction includes mountaineering, tracking sightseeing, and fishing and other thrills. It offers special attraction for mountaineers and trekkers.
Its northern areas lie under the shadow of the world’s three famous mountain ranges, the Karakoram, the Hindukush and the Himalayas. Here stand the second’s highest mountain K-2 (28250 ft or 8610 meters). Again there are the Nanga Parbat (26600 ft) and Rakaposhi (25550 ft). In their neighbourhood are 19 other peaks above 25000 feet a paradise for mountaineers trekkers and lovers of snow-clad peaks watching over the flower-laden valley.
Although trekking and mountaineering tourism have a visible positive effect in terms of employment, income generation etc, it also generated negative impacts that are fairly serious in some areas. The benefits resulting from tourism have also not spread widely and resulted in a disarray of the industry due to poor planning of tourism development, lack of trained officials, poor marketing, and advertisement, infrastructure and political instability. Tourism is now becoming the world’s largest income industry and its share the global economy is increasing day by day.
Pakistan offers all kinds of tourist’s attractions. There are more than 50,000 passengers that come to Pakistan only to visit the natural beauty of Pakistan. Now there is a lot of potentials but due to unfavourable conditions, this potential is not utilized. In order to achieve greater benefits from tourism and to minimize its negative impacts on mountain areas, it is necessary to see mountain areas in terms of different environmental resources and their economic value. Tourism is now the great hope of reversing processes of marginalization for many mountain communities. This hope is based on local conditions and diversities.
However, tourism is a business with rapidly changing demands, fashions and requirements. These results in globalize competition where mountain areas are not only competing among themselves but also with other major tourist destinations.
Sherbaz: Tour and Mountain Guide