As a student of tourism and economic
development I would try my best to explain the topic in layman terms in the
context of district Chitral. District Chitral needs no introduction with its
unique culture, picturesque valleys, famous treks, lakes, festivals, glaciers,
forts, and peace. Nature has a lot to offer to the people who travel to this
district on tours and vacations. However, a tourist doesn’t only look for what
provides the reasons to travel (demand side) but also for services (the supply
side) that are required to make his travel and stay comfortable in the area.
For example, besides its natural beauty, forts and peace, one of the reasons
tourists throng to Hunza is the KKH. Similarly, the quality hotels available
there make the tourists stay comfortable, safe and secure. For the last 3 years
tourists inflow in Chitral has increased by many times. However, a particular
tourist segment is still not able to travel to Chitral due to lack of
facilities and quality services. This segment includes the upper class and
upper-upper class, and foreigners. The reason being the non-availability of
regular flights, poor road conditions and lack of quality accommodation
services. The flights usually happen to be two days a week and could be managed
thus avoiding the long travel on the road but the lack of quality hotels can’t
be worked out overnight. The few quality hotels are booked in long advance and
have very limited capacity. On a conservative estimate the top 4 hotels in
Chitral town can accommodate about 350 people at maximum. According to sources,
Mehtar-e-Chitral and family were once requested by a ‘Culture Trust’ to let
them renovate the Chitral Fort on the footings of Altit Fort and Shigar Fort
and develop into a liveable place of highest standards which was declined by
the family. The gap still exists for such a high standard hotel that can provide
quality services for the tourists. But the question arises; How is a
four-five star hotel important for Chitral? Below are few of the reasons that I
can think of now;
Branding
of Chitral: The foreign tourists in particular and the elite domestic tourist
in particular ask, “Is there PC in Chitral? Marriott or Serena ?”. Saying yes
adds value to the product you are offering, the services you are mentioning and
the region you are luring tourists to. This helps in positive branding of the region
and is one of the indicators of stability, peace, and development of the
region. If a multinational company invests in a region that shows that there is
something worth visiting in the region. Many foreigners don’t get NOC only on
the basis that there are not enough secure places to stay in far-flung regions.
Employment
Creation for locals: When you go to a hotel in Quetta, Swat, Multan,
Gilgit, etc you will see that most of the people working in those hotels are
the local people. It makes economic sense for the companies to hire local
people because of cost-effectiveness, low turn over rates and sense of
ownership. It is a win-win both for the company as well as the local people. A
five-star hotel on an average hires more than 100 permanent staff. According to
the standards of five-star hotels by World Tourist Organization (WTO), a 5-star
hotel has to hire at least 20 staff for 10 rooms, which means if the hotel builds
50 rooms then that must hire 100 people for maintaining the quality of
services.
Associated
small businesses: When hotels are built local services and
products are needed including vegetables from local farms, fresh meat from the
local market, vehicles for transports of goods, cars for dropping and picking guests,
laundry services, tour guides, local arts & crafts, and you name it. Some
might argue that a five-star hotel has its own laundry or pick and drop. Yes,
but not all guests avail those services inside the same hotel. Secondly, a
hotel doesn’t have the expertise or time to grow its own vegetables, fruits,
honey, and dairy farms. These are some of the local businesses that flourish
alongside the hotel industry.
Transferable
and Marketable Skills Development for locals: If you are
trained in a hotel and gain skills in front office management, sales, cooking,
public relations, food & beverages management, housekeeping, etc you are
skilled enough to work in thousands of hotels in the industry. Your skills are required by many in the industry and you are always open to other
opportunities in other hotels. There are
fewer chances of you remaining jobless.
Thriving
social life, events, and entertainment: Hotels also provide space, services
and the right environment for social activities such as family gatherings, meetings,
conferences, workshops, and local exhibitions. Imagine such things happening in
Chitral in much-organized manner and attracting researchers, academicians,
companies, and locals to interact with a diverse group of people.
The list is long and you can add more
to it but those are the few key areas that are positively affected by such kinds
of investments in a region. There are few negative impacts of development of
tourism in a region too but four-five star hotels are bound to follow
international rules and regulation which protect the local environment. For
example, the sewerage and drainage system of the hotel needs not to affect the
local environment. The waste is properly managed etc. However, due to
increasing pressure from local communities on such matters and local media, international
brands such as Marriott, Serena, Park Hyatt, Avari, etc are well aware of the
consequences and most of the time comply. And if they don’t they are too
vulnerable in terms of their reputation.
I personally think that this is high
time that a hotel of such standards should start seriously considering the
worthwhile investment. A particular segment of the tourists is reluctant to
visit Chitral based on the lack of quality services and hotels. This will benefit
the company as well as play a key role in the economic development of the
region. For a multinational chain to build hotel in a far-flung region such as
Chitral is not very lucrative business most of the times given the seasonality
of tourists and lack of supportive infrastructure, however companies with
greater vision usually see the multiple benefits that they can provide both to
its shareholders and the local communities.
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| Marriott Islamabad |
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| Serena Gilgit |
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| Not a Five Star but a lovely Shangrilla Hotel Skardu |
