Pakistan Journal of Social Sciences (PJSS) Vol. 41, No. 1 (2021), pp. 61-70

Community Perception towards Social and Economic Impact of Tourism in District

Sadia Mahwish Lecturer, Department of Economics Government Sadiq College Women University Bahawalpur Email: [email protected]

Shahbaz Ali Khan (Corresponding Author) Assistant Professor, Department of Public Administration The Islamia University of Bahawalpur Email: [email protected]

Ismat Nasim Lecturer, Department of Economics Government Sadiq College Women University Bahawalpur Email: [email protected]

Sarfaraz Batool Assiatnat Professor, Department of Political Science The Islamia University of Bahawalpur Email: [email protected]

Abstract: Tourism plays a significant role in the socio-economic development of the economy. This study aims to investigate the perceived socio- economic impact of tourism in district Bahawalpur. Primary data was collected from the residents of district Bahawalpur. A questionnaire is developed and designed by the researchers. 429 responses are gathered from local residents including students, teachers and general population. Primary data is analyzed by using SPSS 20. Descriptive statistics including mean, standard deviation, frequency analysis and regression analysis is used to identify the results of the study. The results show a positive socio-economic impact of tourism in district Bahawalpur. It increases employment; generate multiple business opportunities and generates better opportunities to trade local crafts. Keywords: Social, Economic, Tourism, Employment, Community’s Perception

I. Introduction Tourism is one of the largest industries in the world. It creates employment, reduces poverty, improves investment and inflow of foreign exchange earnings and hence support financial development. Historical and cultural interests, sports, religious reasons and curiosity about nature, countries, civilizations, places and people, have motivated tourists to travel. Efficient institutional developments in both the public and private sectors have facilitated international tourism. As per the UNWTO global tourism indicator worldwide tourist visits have increased from 4 % to 980 million in 2011. Although tourists’ visits to destinations areas are fleeting, their activities can have considerable impact on host communities. Kozhokulov (2019) examined the socio-economic impact of tourism in the Issyk-Kul region, as it is the most visited part of Kyrgyzstan. Weight coefficients were 62 Pakistan Journal of Social Sciences Vol. 41, No. 1 used to measure the economic and social efficiency. The study concluded that the tourism had positive impact on the economic and social growth of the Issyk-Kul region

Luqman (2019) illustrated the socio-economic factors of tourism in Sheikh Baddien National Park DI Khan Khyber Pakhtunkhawa. Data was collected through questionnaire and surveys. There have been some positive or negative economic influences of travel. The encouraging economic impact of tourism is local residents earn greater income, create new employment opportunities. While the negative economic impact of tourism is that it increases the cost of living. Azam et al. (2018) examined the economical and societal benefits of Bomborat Chitral. The study has taken the sample of 60 respondents from a total population of 1500. The study concluded that tourism plays an important role in the economic development of Chitral. Local community supported the argument that tourism directly increased the income of households, infrastructure and growth of hotel business.

Swant (2017) described the socio-economic impacts of tourism development at the Aurangabad District. The study used primary data, collected through interview and survey questionnaires. The results of the study were positive social and economic impacts of tourism in the district. K C & Gewali (2014) examined the socio economic impact of tourism in Lumbini, Nepal. Qualitative research design was followed, semi structured interviews were used in the study. The study concluded that there were positive socio economic impacts of faith tourism. Tourism also promoted economic growth in the region.

Gill & Singh (2013) practiced the GIS (Geographic Information System) as an instrument for assessment of tourism in Pithoragarh district Uttarakhand. Primary and secondary data sources were used. The study revealed that growth of tourist arrival increased to 2.35 percent from 2000 to 2010. The other places of district also showed an increase in economic growth because of tourism. Mensah.C (2012) explored the perception of residents of Tafi Atome on the impact of tourism development in the community. The study used convenience sampling procedure. Researcher concluded that tourism increased the development of community.

Jalil khan (2011) studied the social, economic and environmental impact of tourism in Chitral Pakistan. The study used primary data which was collected by a self- designed survey for data gathering. Results showed positive economic impact of tourism followed by environmental impacts and social effects. Mochechela (2010) studied the socio-economic impact of travel on communities round the Pilanesberg Park, South Africa. Results of study showed that local community is developing with the development of area. Tourism is also contributing in employment. However there is a negative relationship between tourism and the cost of services. The core objective of the study is to examine the perceived socio economic impact of tourism in district Bahawalpur, Pakistan.

II. Data and Methodology This is a quantitative research. To gather the data questionnaire was developed. Cluster sampling technique was used to select the respondents. Study was conducted in 5 different tehsils of district Bahawalpur, Pakistan. Out of these 5 clusters respondents were randomly selected. Descriptive statistics is used to find the demographic characteristics of respondents and their perceived social and economic impact of tourism. Regression analysis is also applied to check the perceived social and economic impact of tourism. 63 A. Profile of the Study Area Bahawalpur is the 11th largest city in Pakistan with expected residents of Bahawalpur district 3,668,106 (Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, 2017). Bahawalpur was founded in 1748 by the Nawab Bahawal Khan I. Bahawalpur district has five Tehsils: Ahmad Pur East Tehsil, Bahawalpur sadder tehsil, Hasil Pur Tehsil, Khair Pur Tami Wali tehsil, Yazman tehsil.

Bahawalpur was the capital of the prior princely state of Bahawalpur, governed by the Abbasi family of Nawabs till 1955. The Nawab left an upscale rich architectural heritage, and Bahawalpur is now identified for its memorials dating from the quantity. There are many recreational places in Bahawalpur like Lal Suhanra National Park, Cholistan Desert, Sadiq Garh Palace, Darbar Mahal, , Central Library, Zoo and Channan Pir located about 50 km approximately. His Urs is celebrated in February ever year. Uch Sharif, 76 km from Bahawalpur, is also an exciting place to visit and is believed to be 4500 years old city.

Noor Mahal is situated in Bahawalpur, Pakistan. Its building was completed in 1875 on neo classical shapes. Few people believe that Nawab Sadiq constructed the home for his partner. The apartment is open for the general community who can stay and respect its building. Noor Mahal now is within the proprietorship of the Pakistan military and is additionally used as a public guest house for hosting state durbars and conferences with the external designations. Sadiq Garh Palace, this is the solitary place that is larger to the notice in terms of grace and splendor. Its construction took nearly 10 years. It is an excellent place with a lavish green lawn with good-looking flowers and plants. Here is moreover a gorgeous ground within the Centre of the building which expressions even superior in the dark. The color difference is furthermore worth looking.

Darbar Mahal, the palace was constructed by Nawab Muhammad Bahawal Khan Abbasi-V in 1904-1907 and was used for a personal and public audience. Its ground are famous tourist attraction as they supply proximity and a superb view of the architecture that resembles that of the traditional Mughalai forts. The development of the fort was completed in 1905 and was dedicated to at least one of the wives of the Nawab. The development of the Gulzar Mahal was also permitted at an equivalent period as Darbar and Noor Mahal. Its architecture is on related appearances and therefore the purpose is additionally an equivalent. It is one of the marvelous tourist attractions present in Bahawalpur.

B. Taro Yamane Method Sample size of 400 was determined with taro Yamane formula. However 500 questionnaires were distributed knowing the fact that sometimes questionnaires might not receive back or some are improperly filled. Out of the 500 distributed questionnaires, responses of 429 respondents were complete which were selected.

n = N/1+N (e) 2 (Yamane & taro, 1967)

Where, ‘n’ signifies the sample size, ‘N’ signifies the population under study and ‘e’ signifies the margin error (can be 0.10, 0.05, or 0.01)

64 Pakistan Journal of Social Sciences Vol. 41, No. 1 C. Detection of Outliers SPSS was used to detect the outliers of the data. Boxplot was produced against each variable. Outliers were placed at extremes and labeled with given id number. Detected outliers were replaced from the data.

D. Research Instrument The Questionnaire used as a research instrument was made by the researchers and composed of three parts: Part I was about the profile of respondents. Part II & Part III dealt with the respondent’s perception regarding the social & Economic impacts of Tourism respectively. On five point likert scale “1” signified the strong level of disagreement whereas “5” characterized the maximum level of agreement.

E. Limitation of study The study mainly focuses on perceived impact of community. More emphasis can be placed on the data collection from the official Govt sources. Moreover this study only highlighted the positive impacts. Future research can be done to check out the negative impacts of tourism if any in district Bahawalpur.

III. Results and Discussion The present study aimed to research the socio-economic factor determining tourism in the District Bahawalpur. All the results were analyzed through descriptive statistics i.e. tables by using SPSS.

A. Reliability Test Reliability statistic is used as key tool to apply further statistical tests. The main function of reliability statistic is known as pilot testing of questions. The result of reliability statistical test is given below.

Table 1: Reliability Statistics Cronbach's Alpha N of Items 0.82 20

This reliability scale is used for determining its value with the support of Cronbach’s Alpha. In this study, total number of items are 20 and its value is 0.82 suggesting that items have relatively high consistency. So, value of Cronbach’s Alpha greater than 0.70 is considered very good for further proceedings.

Table 2 shows a demographic outline of the respondents. 28.4 % are female while 71.6 % are male. Age is important factor of consideration, while conducting the demographic analysis where 17 % respondents are between 18 to 28 years, 64.8 % are between the ages of 29 to 39. After that 16.8 respondents are in the range of 40 to 50 and in the end 1.4 % respondents are in age group of 50 and above.

Total five categories of education are mentioned in the questionnaire for respondents to response. Number of respondents with education level is; Uneducated 33, primary to middle were 165, matriculation were 145, undergraduate were 68, post graduate were 16 and others are 2. Language of respondent is also mentioned. 144 respondents have Punjabi language, 143 have Sariaki language, 62 have Urdu, 80 have others languages.

65 Tehsil wise analysis of respondents is also calculated. Out of 429 filled questionnaires; 140 people are from Bahawalpur i.e 32.6%. From Ahmed Pur East there are 72 respondents’ i.e 16.8 %. Furthermore 67 people, 69 people and 81 people are from Yazman, Khairpur and Hasilpur respectively, i.e Yazman 15.6%, Khairpur 16.1% and in Hasilpur 18.9 percent.

Table 2: Demographic Profile of Respondents Variables Number Percentage (%) Gender Ratio Male 307 71.6 Female 122 28.4 Total 429 100.0 Qualification / Education Illiterate 33 7.7 Primary-Middle 165 38.5 Matriculation 145 33.8 Undergraduate 68 15.9 Postgraduate 16 3.7 Others 2 0.5 Total 429 100.0 Age 18-28 73 17.0 29-39 278 64.8 40-50 72 16.8 Above 50 6 1.4 Total 429 100.0 Language Punjabi 144 33.6 Saraiki 143 33.3 Urdu 62 14.5 Others 80 18.6 Total 429 100.0 Tehsil wise sample size Bahawalpur 140 32.6 Ahmedpur 72 16.8 Yazman 67 15.6 Khairpur 69 16.1 Hasilpur 81 18.9 Total 429 100 Source: Researcher’s Field Survey

B. Descriptive Statistics The calculated mean scores were graded from lowest to the highest mean as presented in table 3. To illicit findings and conclusions, following scale was useful. We can interpret the results based on the wide of the impact level, which can be calculated as follows:

Wide of impact level=5-1/5= 0.8 1.00-1.50 = strong disagree 1.51-2.50 = disagree 2.51-3.50 = neutral 3.51-4.50 = agree 4.51-5.00 = strong agree

66 Pakistan Journal of Social Sciences Vol. 41, No. 1 Table 3 represents the responses on the perceived impact which provides the broad scenario of socio-economic effects of tourism development of District Bahawalpur. The outcomes of economic effects, which are utmost favored by native people, students, and teachers are as follows: “standard of living is growing substantially by travel” (4.01), “improvement in local infrastructure” (4.03), “tourism generates employment”(4.05), “tourism increase local people income” (4.22) “Local businesses and markets get benefits from tourism.”(4.06).

Table 3: Descriptive statistics of Community’ perception of Tourism Standard Mean deviation Social impact Tourism helps in promoting a good image of the region. 3.71 1.04 Tourist’s arrivals improve the standard of living of the people. 4.01 .86 Increased tourism in any area results in an improvement in local 4.03 .93 infrastructure. Increase the inflow of tourists improves the health facilities of the area. 4.01 .86 Tourist become a of cause stress for the local community 3.64 .93 Tourist arrival has no relationship with the facilities available in the area. 2.87 .99 Tourist arrival causes traffic congestion and pollution. 3.20 1.003 Tourism negatively affects the natural environment. 2.98 .98 Crime increases due to tourist’s arrival. 2.89 1.01 The arrival of tourism from diverse cultures creates a more peaceful and 2.98 1.06 tolerant society. Economic impact Tourism increase local people’s income. 4.22 .90 Tourism helps in promoting local crafts. 4.014 .86 Tourist’s arrival increases investment opportunities. 4.018 .93 Tourism creates multiple short and long term employment. 4.05 .76 Local businesses and markets get benefits from tourism. 4.08 .87 Tourism helps local women to get economically empowered by selling their 4.21 .86 handmade items. Tourism increases inflation in the local markets. 3.49 .90 Hotel and restaurant industry charge higher prices by exploiting tourists. 3.86 .94 The tourism industry operates on a seasonal basis. 3.77 .92 An increase in tourist inflows can cause a disturbance in demand and supply 3.79 .84 of different commodities.

The foremost satisfying piece within the economic impacts is “Tourism helps local women to get economically empowered by selling their handmade items.”(4.21).The respondents have agreed on the positive economic impacts which include increasing local people's income, increase investment opportunities and social impact which include improving the standard of living, increase local infrastructure, increase health facilities, etc. Negative socio-economic impacts that are faced by residents are: a disturbance in demand and supply of different commodities, higher prices by exploiting tourists, traffic congestion and pollution, and increase inflation in the local market.

C. Correlation Analysis Pearson correlation is conducted through SPSS 20.0 to examine the association between all variables. The table 4 indicates that, all the variables are correlated significantly and the variable has a strong correlation at p<0. 01.

67 Table 4 Correlations (N=429) SOCIAL ECONIMIC TOURISM SOCIAL 1

ECONIMIC .257** 1 TOURISM .274** .768** 1 **. Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed)

D. Regression Analysis Regression analysis is used to predict the relationship between two or more variables and then estimates the unknown variable (dependent variable) with the help of known variable (independent variables). In other words there are two types of variables in a regression analysis. The variables, which is used to predict the variable of interest is called the independent or explanatory variable or predictor, and the variable whose value is to be predicted is called the dependent variable or explained variable or regressed. (Montgomery, 1982).

The current study measures the perceived impact of tourism on Socio- Economic development of district Bahawalpur. To check the relationship community perception towards tourism is used as a dependent variable. Social and economic factors are considered as independent variables. The results of regression analysis are presented as under:

Table 5: Model Summary (N=429) Adjusted Std. Error of the R R Square Durbin-Watson Model R Square Estimate .772a .596 .594 .36650 1.891 a. Predictors: (Constant), Economic, Social, b. Dependent Variable: Tourism

Table 6: ANOVA (N=429) Model Df Mean Square F Sig. Regression 2 42.241 314.469 .000b Residual 426 .134 Total 428 a. Dependent Variable: TOURISM, b. Predictors: (Constant), ECONOMIC, SOCIAL

Table 5 shows the model summary of Socio-economic impact of tourism. The main predictors of the study are social and Economic factors. Value of R shows the simple correlation and is 0.77 which is indicating a high degree of correlation. Value of R2 shows that how much variation in dependent variable i.e tourism is explained by independent variable i.e. social and economic factors. Value of R2 is 0.590 elaborates that 59% variation can be explained in the dependent variable due to variation in the predictors.

In table 6 degree of freedom of regression is showing that regression has two independent variables and it is also representing number of parameters to be estimated minus one. Whereas residuals are having degree of freedom equal the difference of number of observation and numbers of parameters to be estimated. Means squared are a ratio of sum of square by its respective degree of freedom. F statistical value is estimated by dividing mean square of regression by means square of residuals. The results of Table 6 show that p value is .000 which is less than the significance level. Result of ANOVA also indicates the overall significance of the model showing the strong economic impact of Tourism in District Bahawalpur. 68 Pakistan Journal of Social Sciences Vol. 41, No. 1 Table 7 shows the regression coefficients, the intercept and the significance of all coefficients and the intercept in the model. According to the coefficient table the fitted model is Y=a+B1X1+B2X2. Here, Y= 0.452 + 0.081X1+ 0.771 X2. Where Y= community perception towards tourism, X1= Social factors, X2=Economic factors. β value shows the level to which the value of the independent variable contributes to the change of the dependent variable. β value of social factor is 0.81 which suggest that per unit increase in social components will increase the community perception towards tourism by 0.081 unit. β value of economic factor is 0.771 indicates that one unit increase in economic factor increases the community perception towards tourism by 0.77 units. The result is also indicating that tourism has statistically strong impact on economic factors rather than the social factors. As some of the respondents perceive negative social impacts associated with tourism such as increase in crime rate, traffic congestion, pollution and adverse impact on natural environment.

Table 7: Coefficients (N=429) Unstandardized Standardized Model Coefficients Coefficients t Sig. B Std. Error Beta (Constant) 0.452 0.147 3.074 0.002 SOCIAL 0.081 0.032 0.082 2.577 0.010 ECONOMIC 0.771 0.033 0.747 23.444 0.000 a. Dependent Variable: TOURISM

IV. Conclusion The purpose of this study is to find out the perceived impact of tourism on the socio economic development of district Bahawalpur. Primary data is collected from the teachers, students and local community of district Bahawalpur. 429 responses are received back which have been analyzed by the Descriptive statistics & Regression Analysis using SPSS.

Results of the study indicated that respondents perceived the economic impacts of tourism utmost favorably, followed by social effects. Students and native communities believe that tourism not only improves the standard of living, health facilities and infrastructure but also increases the local people’s income, employment opportunities and investment opportunities. More satisfying impact of tourism is that it also economically empower the local women. However some negative impacts of tourism are also observed in the study. Local people perception regarding tourism is that it creates traffic congestion, pollution, inflation. It also increases crime in case of theft, drugs and smuggling etc. despite some negative effects, people perceived positive impacts larger than the negative impacts.

 The provincial and district administration has to take concrete measures for the development of the tourism industry in the district Bahawalpur as it is famous as city of palaces.  To attract tourists, the Government should develop road infrastructure and should provide allied resources to the underprivileged Cholistan.  Government should support local businessmen to develop private tourist facilities for visitors.  Hotel and restaurants should be opened near the tourist spots.  PIA should arrange special flights to Bahawalpur from across the country on frequent basis as currently very few flights are available. 69  Facilities such as drinking water, toilets and rooms should be provided and increased specially at Cholistan Jeep Rally as it has become a signature event for Bahawalpur district and hundreds of thousands of tourists arrive in Bahawalpur district to witness this.  Government should market this region internationally to attract foreign tourists and visitors.

References Afroz, N. (2020) . Residents’s attitudes towards tourism: A study on Modhupur National Park and BangaBandhu Jamuna Eco-Park. Management Studies and Economic Systems (MSES), 5 (1/2), 15-26, Ahmad, R. R., Saifulah, A., Ahamd, N., &Jatoi, I. (2014). Ravaged Lands: An investigation of causes affecting Pakistan's tourism industry. Information and Knowledge Management, 4(8), 135-142. Ahmet, K., Tarim, M., &Tatoglu, E. (2003). The economic, social, & environmental determinants of tourism revenue in turkey: some policy implications. Journal of Economand and Social Research,5(2), 61-72. https://www.researchgate.net/publiction/251218628 Azam, M., Alam, M. M., &Hafeez, M. H. (2018). Effect of tourism on environmental pollution: Further evidence from Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand. Journal of cleaner production, 1-18. DOI: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.04.168 Fakhar, A. UI. (2008). Factors affecting tourism, tourism potential, and plans for development as an Industry in Pakistan. University of gavle, 1-46 Feng, X. (2008). Economic and Socio-Cultural Impacts of Tourism Development in Fenghuang Country, China. Gill, N. Singh, R, P. (2013). Socio-Economic Impact Assessment of Tourism In Pithoragarh District, Uttarakhand: International Journal of Advancement in Remote Sensing, GIS and Geography; Vol.1, No.1, 1-7. Gnanapala, W, K, A. Sandaruwani, J, A, R, C. (2016). Socio-economic Impacts of Tourism Development and Their Implications on Local Communities: International Journal of Economics and Business Administration; Vol. 2, No. 5; 59-67. URL: http://www.aiscience.org/journal/ijeba Kara, A. Tarim, M. &Tatoglu, E. (2003). The economic, social, & environmental determinants of tourism revenue in turkey: some policy implications. Journal of Economic and Social Research; vol; 5(2), 61-72. URL: https://www.researchgate.net/publiction/251218628 Khalil, S., Kakar, M. K., &Waliullah. (2007). Role of tourism in economic growth: empirical evidence from Pakistan economy. The Pakistan development review, 46(4), 985-995. DOI: https://doi.org/10.30541/v46i4II pp.985-995 Khan, A, J, Syed S, zaman, Ahmed, F. (2011). Students' Perception toward Social, Economic and Environmental Impacts of Tourism in Chitral-Pakistan: Journal of International Academic Research; Vol.11, No.1. URL: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/288824668 Khan, H. (2006). Willingness to Fee for Margalla Hills National Park: Evidence from the Travel Cost Method. The Lahore Journal of Economics, 11(2), 43-70. Khan, M, A. (2019). Socio-Economic Factors Determining Tourism in Sheik Baddin National Park DI Khan Khyber PakhtunKhwa: Journal of Business and Tourism; Vol. 0, Number 01. URL: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/335567511 70 Pakistan Journal of Social Sciences Vol. 41, No. 1 Kozhokulov, S. (2019). Assessment of Tourism Impact on the Socio-Economic Spheres of the Issyk-Kul Region (Kyrgyzstan): Sustainability; 11, 3886. Luqman, M., Khan, D. M. A., &Arif, M. (2019). Socio-economic factors determining tourism in sheik baddin park DI Khan Khyber Pakhtunkhawa. Journal of Business and Tourism, 5(1), 75-90 Mensah, C. (2012). Residents’ Perception of Socio-economic Impacts of Tourism in TafiAtome, Ghana: Asian Social Science; Vol. 8, No. 15; 274-287. URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.5539/ass.v8n15p274 Mochechela, M, M. (2010). The Socio-Economic Impact of Tourism on communities around the Pilanesberg National Park, North-West Province, South Africa: Muhammad, M, W. (2015). Ecotourism Potential in Gilgit-Baltistan (A Case Study of Khunjerab National Park): American Journal of Agriculture and Forestry; 3(6): 253-259. URL: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/286330872 Phoummasak, K. Kongmanila, X. & Changchun, Z. (2014). The Socio-Economic Impact of Tourism and Entrepreneurs in LuangPrabang Province, Lao PDR: International Journal of Business and Management; Vol. 9, No. 12; 275-284. URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.5539/ijbm.v9n12p275 Rahman, M. (2010).Exploring the Socio-Economic Impacts of Tourism: A study of cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. Rehman, S. U., &Qayyum, A. (2015). Tourist advocacy: the positive role of tourist satisfaction and negative role of terrorism risk. Abasyn Journal of Social Sciences, 8(2). Rahman, R, M. (2016). The Socio-Economic Importance of Tourism and its Impact on the Livelihood in South Asia;CaseRangamati, Bangladesh. Rodriguez, J. G. (2019). Tourism and poverty reduction in Mexico: An ARDL Cointegration Approach. Sustainability, 1-10. DOI:10.3390/su11030845 Rout, H, B. Mishra, P, K. (2016). Socio-economic impacts of tourism in india: An empirical analysis: Journal of Environmental Management and Tourism DOI: 10. Saquib, N. u., Yaqub, A., Amin, G., Khan, I., Faridullah, Ajab, H., Zeb, I., & Ahmad. (2019). The impact of tourism on local communities and their environment in GilgitBaltistan, Pakistan: a neighborhood community perspective. Science, 7(3), 24-37. DOI: 10.2478/environ-2019-0015 Shah, M, R. (2015). Saidpur Village: A Case Study of Post-Development Critique and Impact of Commercialisation on Local Community. Shambhu, K, C. Gewali, J. (2014). Analyzing Socio-Economic Impact of Tourism Case of Lumbini Region-Nepal: Shujahi, A., &Hussain, A. (2016). Economic and environmental costs of tourism: evidence from District Abbottabad. 6, 1-30. Swant, M. (2017). Socio-economic impact of tourism development at Aurangabad District: 1-8. URL: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/31549199 Tabash, M, I. (2017). The Role of Tourism Sector in Economic Growth: An Empirical Evidence From Palestine: International Journal of Economics and Financial Issues; Vol; 7(2), 103-108. URL: www.econjournals.com Valdez, E, B. (2009). The Socio-Economic impact of Tourism and Entrepreneurship in Vigan City: E-International Scientific Research Journal; ISSN: 2094-1749, 1(1).