2021
  • Non-ICIMOD publication

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Residents' attitude and perception toward impact of mountain tourism in Gilgit-Baltistan Pakistan

  • Amjad Ali
  • Summary

In recent years, tourism development has been more pronounced in the mountain regions of Pakistan and planners are increasingly turning to tourism as one of the viable local economic development strategies. To gain local support for tourism development, planners are now challenged with understanding how the mountain community perceives the tourism impact. This paper examines the perception of local residents toward the impact of tourism and the determinants of residents' attitude toward tourism impact in Hunza valley of Gilgit-Baltistan Pakistan. To identify the respondents of the study, simple random sampling technique was used and the data were collected through a field survey from 342 local residents. The results of the study reveal that residents of the mountain region show a high level of agreement regarding the positive economic contribution of tourism in the region. However, residents are very concerned about the increasing environmental consequences of tourism. Regression analysis shows that residents' attitudes toward tourism impact has significantly influenced by the perceived economic, environmental, and social impact of tourism. Keeping in view the environmental concerns of the local populace, this study recommends that Gilgit-Baltistan should develop an ecotourism model that has the potential to provide economic opportunities for local communities while ensuring no environmental degradation.

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