Cultural Tourism Management in Pakistan: Issues and Challenges

Abstract

Cultural tourism management plays a vital role in providing tourism the space to flourish socio-economically, which is the need of the time. This study highlights some issues and challenges in the management of cultural tourism. For this purpose, observation and fifty-one unstructured and semi-structured interviews were conducted, and thematic analysis was used to get results. For generalizing the data for Pakistan, only five locales, Rohtas Fort, Taxila, Takht-i-Bahi, Lahore, and Islamabad, have been selected with some sub-locales. These sub-locales include some organizations and tourism sites in a city. All the selected locales and sub-locales have some cultural significance. The results show that there is no such management structure for cultural tourism; whatever management is there for tourism is improper. The report examines several difficulties and concerns confronting the tourist industry, making suggestions for stakeholders and policymakers. It highlights the significance of responsible tourism, which tackles socioeconomic, environmental, and economic concerns.