NAVIGATING THE CHALLENGES OF SUSTAINABLE TOURISM IN MALAKAND DIVISION

The objective of this study is to find what challenges and issues are affecting sustainable tourism practices in the Malakand division and what steps need to be taken to overcome these challenges. Qualitative method was used for data collection. 10 faculty members, teaching Tourism and Hospitality in two universities were taken as a sample. In-depth interviews were conducted. To analyze data, a thematic analysis method was employed, and results were drawn. Study revealed that the most common issues and challenges to sustainable tourism in Malakand Division are infrastructure, law and order situation, lack of effective tourism management and regulation, degradation of tourism products and less involvement of local communities. The study recommends that government may invest in infrastructure development and take support from stakeholders, a comprehensive strategy for law-and-order situations may be chalked out, tourism regulations may be strengthened by ensuring cultural preservation, community involvement, education and awareness and true implementation is needed, degradation of tourism products may be minimized, and the active participation of local communities may be ensured for sustainability goals. Limitations and future calls are part of the study.