Developing Strategies to Promote Local Tourism in the Lahore City

Abstract

Background: Tourism is not only an active source of economic contribution but also for social cohesion of society. Lahore is an ancient city which it is renowned for its rich cultural history and tourist attraction. Its tourism potential  can be an active source of economic gains. To access the infrastructure and facilities for tourist, this research carried out and primary data is collected using consistent with accepted practices. Further, existing tourism scenarios have been analyzed to demonstrate importance of tourism in development. Moreover, functionality of tourism promotion agencies and weaknesses in tourism sector of Lahore city have been examined. Materials and Methods: For this purpose, research conducted in two regions i.e. within radial of 200 kilometers from core city and region outside the 200 kilometers. Results: Findings outlined that the tourism packages offered by tourism promotion agencies in Lahore are not affordable for low income group. Furthermore, number of visitors for tourism purpose has declined during last few years. Conclusions: The reasons for low tourism are pointed out as lack of financial resources, busy schedule, not enough information available for hotels and packages for tourism. Through the selected case study, it was further concluded that tourism and travel like other industries could be one of the major contributor to the economy in addition to the medium of promotion of local cultures, traditions, arts and crafts, cuisine etc.