Blogs
Eco-Tourism in Northern Pakistan
By Saba Irum
Ecotourism is defined as”responsible travel to the natural areas that conserves the environment,sustains the well-being of the local people,and involves interpretation and education.” (TIES,2015).
Education is meant to be inclusive of both the staff and guests.
Ecotourism is a form of tourism which places a heavy emphasis on appreciation and the protection of the natural environment,with the ecotourists travelling to the regions of ecological interest around the world.This kind of tourism is also called ecological tourism or the nature travel.
Tourism allows us to immerse ourselves into the other cultures and in their lifestyles.We travel for trying unique foods and to interact with the people with a different way of living.Ecotourism guides us towards a responsible tourism.It helps us to explore the unspoilt regions and to understand the cultures of the locals.We can understand the needs of the locals better when we interact with them.
The locals are annoyed by the tourists who do not understand their dressing codes or who put unreasonable demands to them.We must prefer to travel and explore the areas on foot,where it is possible for us to do walk or hiking.As the traffic causes a lot of disturbance and causes air and noise pollution.The tourists are used to go and see the animal shows but they forget that it is better to see them playing on the hiking trails or in the meadows rather than to see the animals kept in captivity.It is very important being an eco-friendly tourist not to throw garbage here and there when we go to explore the beautiful valleys in the North.We must put the garbage in the bins.
The following are few principles of Ecotourism.
1.Build environmental and cultural awareness and respect.
2.Providing the financial benefits for the environmental conservation.
3.Generating financial benefits for both local and private industry.
4.Minimize the physical,social and the psychological impacts.
5.Designing and constructing the low impact facilities.
Here are some of the benefits of Ecotourism.
1.Your vocabulary improves as you meet the locals and learn different accents and new words.
2.You learn a lot about the history of a place you visit.
3.When you buy the souvenirs you encourage the local people and their handicrafts.
4.You learn how to be eco-friendly and not to throw garbage here and there.
5.You learn to see,take photos and to admire the animals moving about freely in the meadows and valleys.
6.You learn to admire the local dresses,culture,way of living and their meals.
When we travel the Northern Areas of Pakistan we being eco-friendly tourists we must make sure:
1.Not to throw garbage here and there in the valleys or near the lakes.
2.Not to cut the trees for a bonefire.
3.Not to hunt the animals or the birds on the way.
4.Not to go with an increased traffic.
5.Protect our valleys from air and noise pollution.
6.Take your own food and do not disturb the locals.Manage for the clothing,food or shelter yourselves.
7.Learn and respect the dressing codes and languages of the locals.
8.Be friendly and loving towards the locals.
9.Take souvenirs and gifts for the locals and give them the gifts as a token of love,from your place or province.This will increase your friendly terms with the locals and they will remember that you visited their areas.
10.Do all good you can do by fulfilling the needs of the locals.
I hope that people realize the importance of Ecotourism and they implement it practically to benefit the locals and prove to be the responsible tourists.
