Tourism Legislation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa after the 18th Amendment

Abstract

This study analyzed the tourism legislation in KPK following the 18th Amendment and its implementation in the province. The tourism legislation was examined by a qualitative, historical-legal approach. For that purpose, acts, ordinances, policies, reports, and academic literature were examined. The results indicated that KPK has not only amended the Tourism Act, 1976 but also formulated new laws such as the KPK Tourism Act, 2019; the Galiyat Development Authority Act, 2016 and the Kaghan Development Authority Act, 2020. Implementation of these laws has contributed to the development of the province’s tourism industry through tourism infrastructure development, destination management, investment promotion and institutional strengthening. As a result, KPK has emerged as a very practical and active province in the implementation of post-devolution reforms in the tourism sector in Pakistan. However, it is not very effective because of the lack of community participation, multiple institutional jurisdictions, poor waste management, environmental degradation and lack of basic tourism services. Therefore, these weaknesses must be addressed in future implementation so that it can be developed into sustainable tourism in KPK.