COVID-19, Adaptive Capacity and Tourism Governance: The Case of Pakistan's Tourism Industry

Abstract

The restrictive measures related to the COVID-19 pandemic put a halt to everything across the world. The global crisis hit every sphere of life. The mobility restrictive nature of the pandemic was a major blow to the travel, tourism and hospitality industry. For a country like Pakistan, with an unstable economy and struggling tourism, the pandemic served as ground zero. This chapter critically examines tourism dimensions in Pakistan and how it sustained the impact of various crises. It pays attention to the concepts of vulnerability, social and community resilience, and adaptive capacity to provide a theoretical understanding of the revival of tourism in Pakistan. It also considers the impact of COVID-led measures on the tourism industry and corresponding initiatives of the government. The chapter concludes by arguing that Pakistan should carefully monitor and assess the current debates on tourism policies and practices. The chapter suggests that the national tourism strategy should incorporate a mechanism that can address tourism in crises in addition to addressing the environmental, socio-cultural and economic impact of tourism.

Citation

Sadiq, N. (2021), "COVID-19, Adaptive Capacity and Tourism Governance: The Case of Pakistan's Tourism Industry", Seabra, C., Paiva, O., Silva, C. and Abrantes, J.L. (Ed.) Pandemics and Travel (Tourism Security-Safety and Post Conflict Destinations), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 49-66. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-80071-070-220211004