Tourism in Pakistan suffered heavily due to the poor law and order situation and terrorism until a few years ago. Different countries issued travel warnings to their citizens against traveling to this part of the world unless it was unavoidable. This situation tarnished the image of the country, drastically reducing the influx of tourists.

During this period, local tourism also suffered due to the fear of roads leading to popular destinations being unsafe. For a long time, Swat -- the Switzerland of Pakistan -- remained a no-go area for tourists. It was opened again after the army operation against militants ended but it has still not regained its status of a tourist heaven.

Over the last couple of years, there is a marked rise in the number of tourists, mostly locals, heading to the northern parts of the country. This activity has also improved down-country but a bit slowly.

The development of supportive infrastructure like roads, tunnels and bridges has also made a big difference. Improved access has given a choice to travelers to head to destinations that were not as accessible earlier and frequented only by trekkers or those using 4X4 jeeps.

The increased flow of tourists has also created some challenges. These include the need to cater to the boarding needs of tourists, improving the quality of services available to them, keeping  the environment clean and upgrading road infrastructure for increased vehicular traffic, etc.

Only marketing scenic destinations to potential tourists is not enough. The creation of a complete ecosystem where all the needs of tourists are taken care of is a must. But, unfortunately, the situation on most locations is that tourists remain unsatisfied and may avoid another visit. Besides, they can advise others not to travel there to avoid a similar experience.

Saqib Khadim from The Explorers’ Club (TEC) -- an organisation offering low-cost travel to tourists, tells TNS it is a fact that boarding facilities at popular tourist destinations are inadequate during peak season. "When tourists try to book hotels in Naran, Hunza, AJK, etc, they are told these are fully booked till August or September." Over the last couple of years, he says, people are heading to AJK and news of people spending nights in their vehicles are quite common. "This is simply because of insufficient boarding facilities that have faced controlled development due to security concerns," he adds.

He attributes exponential growth of tourist traffic, especially in Chitral and Gilgit Baltistan (GB), to improved road infrastructure which, he says, is not matched by boarding facilities there. "Earlier, the footprint of tourists in GB was 20,000 to 25,000 per year, but it reached one million last year. The major reason is improved access due to the opening of Babusar Pass."

Similarly, he says, the traffic to Chitral increases when Lowari tunnel is opened and decreases when it is not. "The Peshawar-Swat motorway will also help increase the number of tourists because it will make travel safe, reduce travel time by three hours or so and offer quality food and recreational facilities at rest areas. This is exactly what a tourist looks for."

Travel conditions to Ziarat from Dera Ghazi Khan will improve when a tunnel and several steel bridges will be completed and travelers will be able to stay at Fort Monroe.

Tourism fuels several sectors of the economy, including hoteling and accommodation, food and beverages, railway and road transport, air travel and tour agencies, cultural activities, sports and recreational activities and souvenir making. Tourism activity cannot be generated without strengthening all these sectors and improving the quality of service.

Aftab Rana, President Sustainable Tourism Foundation (STF) says, "In addition to shortage of boarding facilities, the quality of service is often not up to the mark. It is quite common for guests not to get value for money, rooms are untidy, water supply is intermittent and food unhygienic and tasteless."

He says they have suggested to the national tourism board to strengthen the provincial Departments of Tourism Services (DTS) that are responsible for ensuring the quality of tourist service facilities. "These departments issue licenses to service providers and must revoke these if their performance is not satisfactory." At the moment, the departments are weak in enforcement primarily because the laws governing them are obsolete and in force since 1974.

On the importance of infrastructure, Rana says, "It is possible to increase the duration of the tourism season by improving road access to areas that are not accessible in winters." A perfect example he cites is that of Naran which remains inaccessible due to closure of Babusar Pass in winters. "If the road is widened and arrangements made to clear snow in time, people can also enjoy winter tourism." This will also be in the interest of people as hotels charge them heavily during the brief summer season.

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To improve quality of hospitality services, the National Vocational and Technical Training Commission (NAVTTC), Pakistan Hotels Association (PHA) and Pakistan Food Association (PFA) have jointly set up Sector Skills Council (SSC). This council arranges for demand-based training of workforce and their hands-on experience in the industry and helps in their placement in the sector.

Though big investors are mulling investment in the hotel industry, some small-time and local-level interventions are also becoming popular by the day. One such initiative is Tourist Assistance Programme (TAP) supported by Akhuwat microfinance organisation that provides loans to locals for renovations of their rooms as bed and breakfast locations. One household can avail one loan worth Rs125,000 to renovate one room.

"At the moment, one can check availability of boarding facilities at 10 different locations in GB and book them. The model is being replicated in AJK and will be extended to other parts of the country as well," says Amjad Saqib, Founder of Akhuwat who hopes it will be a game-changer for the enterprising people of Pakistan.