SKARDU'S EMERGING TOURISM INDUSTRY: A STATISTICAL EVALUATION OF FLOW, CHALLENGES, AND OPPORTUNITIES

Abstract

Skardu is one of the beautiful districts of Gilgit-Baltistan (GB), located in the extreme north of Pakistan. It bordered with China, India, and Kashmir. It stretched along the River Indus between mighty mountains Karakoram and Himalaya. It is the capital of Baltistan region where peoples from other districts of Pakistan are settled for their business, education and a job proposes.

Skardu, a popular tourist destination in Pakistan, is renowned for its stunning landscapes, rich cultural heritage, and unique biodiversity. However, the surge in tourism activities in recent years has led to various environmental and socio-economic challenges, including environmental degradation, cultural erosion, and economic inequity. To address these issues and promote sustainable tourism, this article explored the challenges and opportunities for sustainable tourism development in Skardu.

Through a comprehensive review of the literature, the article identifies the key drivers of unsustainable tourism practices in Skardu, such as uncontrolled tourism activities, inadequate infrastructure, and lack of community engagement. Additionally, the article highlighted several potential strategies for promoting sustainable tourism in the region, including community-based tourism, eco-tourism, and responsible tourism. Finally, the article proposed a framework for sustainable tourism development in Skardu that emphasized collaboration among stakeholders, conservation of natural and cultural resources, and equitable distribution of benefits. The key findings of this study are that Skardu is an area with natural beauty and unique culture with lack of facilities. Due to its natural beauty people from rest of the country and foreign countries are visiting this area. Government and the residents are taking interest in promotion of tourism in area to get economic benefits but not any action is taking to protect the environment and culture.