Why Invest in Tourism in Pakistan? Examining Evidence from Keenjhar Lake
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Policy Brief Number 53-11, June 2011 Why invest in Tourism in Pakistan? Examining Evidence from Keenjhar Lake Regional and sectoral development within a country is never straight In the fiscal year 2004-2005 the STDC forward and offers many challenges. In this policy brief, we examine the received PKR 2.5 million (USD 30,599) recreational use of Pakistan’s largest freshwater lake and ask whether worth of grant-in-aid financial support. further investment in tourism development is warranted. The study is However, it also recently requested the work of Ali Dehlavi and Iftikhar Hussain Adil from the Indus for All approximately the same amount as Programme of the World Wide Fund for Nature, Pakistan. a one-time grant to help overcome a “financial crisis”. As a public limited Keenjhar lake is a large fresh water lake in Sindh Province that supplies fish, company, the corporation has to recreational services and drinking water to Karachi. One issue in developing the justify the money it receives from the region around the lake is whether there is a significant amount of tourism flow to the government. The STDC is therefore area. This study estimates that, on average, approximately 1,000 visitors come to interested in understanding the the lake every day for recreation. The value visitors place on recreation at Keenjhar economic value of the recreational lake is around PKR 3.5 billion (or USD 42 million1). In contrast, current revenues services it manages. This study attempts to the government from entrance and parking fee collections amount to about 0.2% to provide this information. of this value. Given the ample demand for recreation and potential for revenue generation, investments related to the lake are justified and could improve the local economy. Tourists Visiting the Lake Keenjhar lake is a popular recreational Pakistan’s Largest Freshwater Lake destination (see Figure 2). During the peak season of May through August, Keenjhar is situated approximately 120 km north of Karachi and is Pakistan’s largest the lake sees some 60,000 visitors per freshwater lake, with an area of 14,000 ha (see Figure 1). A wildlife sanctuary month. Dehlavi and Adil undertook a and a Ramsar site, it is set in a stony desert composed of alternating layers of questionnaire survey of 741 visitors in sandstone and limestone. Approximately 50,000 people, from 12 large and 20 small August 2009, which shows that visitors surrounding villages are dependent on the lake, primarily for fishing. Tourists, mainly came from 16 different districts of Sindh from Karachi, also enjoy swimming, boating, and other recreational activities at the with Karachi representing the highest lake. These activities are offered by the Sindh Tourism Development Corporation share (69%), followed by Hyderabad (STDC) at a resort on the lake’s western bank. The lake also supplies water for (8%). Of these just over half had visited residential and commercial use in Karachi. Given the importance of the lake as a the lake once in the past year. tourism destination and water supply resource, there are significant public concerns about the pollution of the lake’s waters. Among the factors contributing to the As would be expected, visitors to pollution of the lake are upstream tanneries, sewerage, and grease from vehicle- Keenjhar cover a broad spectrum of washing and motorized fishing boats. middle class families. The maximum monthly household income of visitors to Keenjhar Lake is PKR 1 million 1 Using a 16 July 2009 conversion rate of PKR 81.7 = USD 1. This policy brief is based on SANDEE working paper No. 58–11, ‘Valuing the Recreational Uses of Pakistan’s Wetlands: An Application of the Travel Cost Method’ by Ali Dehlavi and Iftikhar Hussain Adil, of the World Wide Fund for Nature – Pakistan (WWF-P), Indus for All Programme, Karachi, Pakistan. The full report is available at: www.sandeeonline.org The travel cost model 900,000 400,000 This study uses the Travel Cost Model 800,000 350,000 to access the recreational use value of Karachi visitors: low projection 700,000 Keenjhar Lake. The basic idea behind 300,000 the travel cost model is that the travel 600,000 Other Sindh visitors: low projection 250,000 costs that people incur to visit a site can 500,000 be used to estimate their willingness 200,000 Karachi visitors: high projection to pay for recreation. This method 400,000 150,000 is routinely used by economists to 300,000 Other Sindh visitors: high projection estimate recreational demand and the 100,000 200,000 Karachi visitors (right vertical axis) value of national parks. 100,000 50,000 There are several methodological Other Sindh visitors (right vertical – – axis) and sampling challenges that have 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 been addressed in this study. The 200 201 201 201 201 201 201 201 201 201 201 202 researchers were careful to account for Figure 2: Trend in visitor numbers to STDC reserve and projections variables that may bias the estimation of travel costs. Different methods Source: Author’s estimate based on SANDEE / WWF-P Keenjhar surveys (Feb, Mar and Aug 2009 survey data) were used to account for travel time and the opportunity costs incurred parks (and the recreational benefits they supply) frequently do not command a price, is PKR 10 (USD 0.12) per person. by travelers. The presence of charter or at least not one that is high enough or that exhibits sufficient variation, to allow a This amounts to only 0.1% of annual travel was carefully examined. Travel direct estimate of demand. Thus, the researchers use the travel cost method (TCM) economic benefits estimated in this costs were calculated by identifying to estimate recreational demand (see sidebar). This research is among a handful of study. (The STDC also obtains additional vehicle operating costs, petrol and studies in Pakistan to estimate non-market values for public policy purposes. Indeed, revenues by charging, on average, an vehicle depreciation. only one other study has adopted the travel cost method to help shape policy. almost equivalent amount in parking fees of PKR 9 per person). Together, the The study takes into account of the fact Using travel cost information, Dehlavi and Adil estimate the recreational use value two fees bring in approximately PKR 6.8 that information is collected from an of Keenjhar Lake to be PKR 3.5 billion (or USD 42 million) per year. This estimate is million (USD 84,000), which amounts on-site sample of tourists – i.e. tourists based on an annualized mean consumer surplus per visit of PKR 9,500 (or USD 116) to 70% of STDC’s estimated annual who were avid visitors to the lake. This and assumes that there are, on average, 1,000 visits to the lake every day. Thus, the expenditures on the park. There is clearly meant that the average number of trips typical visitor to Keenjhar lake values his/her recreational experience to be worth a mis-match between revenues earned, recorded was higher than it would be approximately 10,000 PKR (over and above any costs incurred) per trip. expenditures made and economic for the population as a whole. This Previous studies have investigated the direct consumptive use value (i.e. the benefits. There is sufficient economic potential bias was corrected. Another producer surplus from commercial fisheries), indirect use value (i.e. the residential surplus that can be partially captured potential sampling bias addressed by water supply to 1 million of the 15 million population of Karachi), and the non-use to increase revenues and make capital the study is the absence of respondents Figure 1: Keenjhar lake values associated with Keenjhar lake. These three other use values have been investments around the park. not intending to ever visit the lake or estimated to be in the order of PKR 9 billion (or USD who were simply unaware of it. (USD 12,240), while, for up to 66% of the sample, the average monthly income is 110 million) per year. It is not appropriate to directly The researchers also distinguished equal to or less than PKR 30,000 (USD 367). Most visitors get to the lake using add the benefits from recreation to the other benefits single-purpose visits from multiple- chartered transport (59%), private cars (35%) or even motorcycles (6%). The most because of the different methods used and underlying purpose visits, e.g. visits that also popular on-site recreational activities are water-based such as boat trips and renting assumptions. Nonetheless, it seems reasonable incorporated detours to destinations of rubber tubes. Restaurant and cottage rental facilities, which on average require an to note that recreational benefits amount to a very expenditure of about PKR 1,000 (USD 12) upwards, were availed by less than 10% of on the way to Keenjhar or on the way significant component of overall benefits from the lake. all households in the study sample. Instead, the more affordable options of vendors back home. This turned out to be very and rental of straw cabins were preferred by half of those who visited. important since up to 42% of the survey Investments by raising Revenues sample undertook such incidental visits. The Recreational Use Value of Keenjhar Lake Can the revenue the government earns from the lake be increased? And, are the recreational benefits large In order to estimate the recreational benefits from the lake, Dehlavi and Adil model enough to justify the introduction of new and different the demand for recreational trips to Keenjhar Lake and estimate visitor ‘willingness types of user fees? The current entry fee to the lake to pay’ for recreation.