Islamabad, Pakistan: “Sustainable tourism is possible only when we care about the environment, and the most important component of the environment is the livelihood of people in the environment”.
This was stated by former Consultant for Tourism government of Pakistan Agha Iqrar Haroon while giving an interview to Sustainability Leaders Team.
Ekrar was of the view that any tourism activity that was (is) not providing and ensuring direct financial benefit to communities from where tourism money is being generated is not sustainable tourism.
“Ironically we hold sustainable tourism workshops and conferences in expensive hotels and tourist resorts where we explain the injustice that poorer communities face. This is a double standards situation when we talk about poor in mega hotels instead of conducting such events on ground — where communities live. I believe that together we can achieve the goal of becoming a sustainable tourism world”, added Ekrar.
Agha Iqrar Haroon, popularly known as Ekrar, shared his insights on tourism development in Pakistan and Asia while giving an interview Sustainability Leaders Team and said that sustainable tourism was following double standards.
It may be mentioned that Haroon first joined the tourism sector as a tourist guide at the age of 15 and then served as Consultant at the Pakistan Ministry of Tourism for four years during 1997-2000. He is the founding President of Ecotourism Society Pakistan that was constituted in 1998 and Honorary Head of The Region Initiative (TRI), connecting South Asia, Central Asia and Eastern Europe.
