WALIA journal 35(1): 122-126, 2019 Available online at www.Waliaj.com ISSN 1026-3861 © 2019 WALIA 122 Tourism problems in Pakistan: An analysis of earlier investigations Anas Mahmud Arif 1,* , Shikirullah 2 , Abdul Samad 3 1 PhD Scholar, Department of Archaeology, Hazara University Mansehra, Pakistan 2 Associate Professor, Department of Archaeology, Hazara University Mansehra, Pakistan 3 Director, Archaeology and Museums, Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan Abstract: Tourism being one of the fastest growing industries in the world is also facing many problems especially in the developing countries like Pakistan. Many of these problems really create hurdles to get the desired results that may be taken otherwise. If these problems associated with this industry are overcome, it will not only facilitate and satisfy the visitors but at the same time will contribute to the economy of the country and wellbeing of the local community. The current study is the part of author’s PhD research and is aimed to highlight the tourism problems in Pakistan and to devise mechanism to overcome these problems. The results are not satisfactory and there is a dire need to work on priority basis to maximize the positive impacts of tourism. Key words: Tourism Industry; Sustainable tourism; Tourism problems; Tourism resources 1. Introduction * Pakistan is the country bestowed with immense natural and cultural resources, which can be utilized for sustainable tourism. The country has the potential to attract the visitors across the globe. Unfortunately the tourism resources of the country have not been determined/ utilized and this industry has never been on the priorities of the previous governments in Pakistan. Besides, tourism in the country has not been planned properly and this industry is facing immense problems. These problems have greatly affected the international tourism in the country. Thus, tourism industry in the country is not playing its role as it should be. To highlight tourism problems of the country and suggest remedial measures for its improvement, different studies have been conducted in the recent past (Fakhar, 2010; Israr et al., 2009; Karim et al., 2012; Khan, 2012; Khan, 2013; Rahman et al., 2011; Rahman et al., 2013; Shaikh and Syed, 2013; Shujahi and Hussain, 2016; Waseem et al., 2005). The current paper is an attempt to analyze the tourism problems and issues associated with the tourism industry of Pakistan. 2. Material and methods For this study data was collected from secondary sources. A number of research studies from 2002- 2017 were consulted. The problems/ issues highlighted and their solutions were analyzed. A general criticism of these studies has also been provided to fill the gaps in literature and limitations for future research. * Corresponding Author. 3. Results and discussion The results show ( Table 1) that majority of the research studies i.e. 64% are of the opinion that the government policies and tourism management is the greatest problem of tourism industry of Pakistan and the previous governments have not paid proper attention to its development. The second problem of the tourism industry of Pakistan is the lack of infrastructure or tourists’ facilities. Lack of basic facilities at the tourists’ resorts lead to dissatisfaction of the tourists. Security issues are also big concern of the tourism industry of Pakistan. 54 % researches say that due to poor security and safety situations potential tourists are not visiting the country. Since 2000, security conditions in Pakistan became worst, which resulted in a dramatic decrease in the number of tourists visiting Pakistan. Human resources are one of the key players of any industry. Unfortunately tourism industry of Pakistan is lacking skillful and professional work force. Due to this, tourism in the country could not develop as it should be. About 22% of the research studies speak that tourism industry of Pakistan is also lacking proper promotion and advertisement and lack of proper tourism marketing is also a hindrance in the development of this industry. Conservation of tourism resources (i.e. natural and cultural) is yet another problem that needs to be addressed. These tourism resources are deteriorating due to solid wastes/ garbage, pollution, unorganized tourist activities and lack of planning. If the situation prevails longer, these resources will soon be perished. About 18% of the studies talk about the sectarian violence and extremism in the country. This problem is severe in Northern Areas of Pakistan where in past different sectarian and