Rethinking Tourism Policy.

With travelling plans both inside the country and beyond on hold ever since the pandemic hit Pakistan hard, it is not surprising that the tourism industry is reeling from the economic downturn. Hill stations such as Murree and other northern areas have seen a significant drop in employment and overall economic activity. The state must turn its attention towards this issue, because even if tourist areas are opened for business starting today, it is going to take a little time before we go back to the booming times before the pandemic.

In many hill stations, there is an entire ecosystem of daily wage tour guides, local climbing experts and a plethora of other independent workers that ply their trade to tourists; it is this group of people the government must target for any potential relief. As a stop gap measure, providing economic support must be made a priority. For many in Murree and beyond, months of little to no income has made survival very difficult this must be rectified.

However, measures for the longer term will also be needed. As a first step, the government must provide training and awareness...