The Impact of Floods on Tourism in Swat: A Case Study of Small Local Tourism Businesses

Abstract

The thesis has examined how floods affect small local tourism businesses in Swat with special consideration to Burj Al Swat Hotel. It looked into the way the floods had interrupted the running of business, ways that the businesses had coped with the disturbance and what could have been done to make the businesses more resistant to similar floods in the future. It was a qualitative research work where semi-structured interviews were conducted with key informants at the Burj Al Swat Hotel. The results revealed that the hotel was badly hit especially regarding the infrastructure destruction which posed significant challenges in operations of the hotel, decline in customer numbers, and financial challenges. The businesses have had to deal with these challenges by applying flexible booking policies, providing discounts, and improved communication with customers. Such measures allowed reaching some retention of customers with slow recovery, particularly in the case of international travellers. It is recommended that prioritize building flood-resistant infrastructure, such as elevated structures and better drainage systems, to minimize damage during future floods.