PAKISTAN’S COASTAL TOURISM: EXPLORING SOCIOCULTURAL CHALLENGES

Abstract

This paper examines the socio-cultural challenges associated with coastal tourism development in Pakistan and particularly the perceptions of the communities living in coastal areas. While tourism is widely presented as a driver of economic development, its socio-cultural effects are complex and not adequately researched, especially in developing countries. The study is quantitative in nature with a sample of 384 in selected coastal areas. Data was collected by means of interview schedule and analyzed descriptively, thematically, by Pearson correlation, and multiple regression. Based on the results, it is concluded that the coastal communities perceive tourism as a significant socio-cultural disturbance. They were identified as four dimensions of challenge, namely: cultural threats and value erosion; social discomfort and cultural conflict; community exclusion and governance problems; and lifestyle disruption and privacy concerns. The results indicate that positive and significant relationships exist between all the socio-cultural dimensions, thus it is concluded that these dimensions are interrelated and they all have an impact on the attitude of the communities towards tourism. Further regression analysis indicates that lifestyle disruption and privacy issues are the most significant predictors of overall socio-cultural impact, then social conflict and cultural threats. The impact of governance-related issues, although important, is relatively less. The research finds that despite the potential that the coastal tourism has, its sustainability is largely reliant on the consideration of the socio-cultural issues. The results highlight the importance of culturally competent, community-based and socially accountable tourism policies. The study is relevant to the current body of literature as it presents empirical data on socio-cultural processes and offers practical implications to policymakers to create sustainable tourism models in Pakistan.