Tourist arrivals, energy consumption and pollutant emissions in a developing economy–implications for sustainable tourism

Sustainable tourism management policies should aim at maximising economic benefits from
tourist arrivals while minimizing associated adverse impacts on the environment. This study
assesses the short‐run and long‐run relationships between tourist arrivals, per capita economic output, emissions, energy consumption and capital formation, citing Nepal as a specific case study. We developed four hypotheses and tested them using time‐series econometrics based on the autoregressive distributed lag model and Granger causality tests. The results provide strong evidence of an economy driven tourism sector where expansion in economic output leads to expansion in tourist arrivals. More tourist arrivals, in turn, generate positive impacts on gross capital formation. Energy consumption negatively affects tourist
arrivals, calling for increased attention towards improving energy efficiency and energy
diversity. We conclude that national policies to increase tourist arrivals should be integrated
with national energy and environmental policies in order to facilitate the transition towards
a sustainable tourism sector.

Tourist arrivals, energy consumption and pollutant emissions in a developing economy–implications for sustainable tourism (Discussion Paper Series N 2018-10)

The restoration of the ancient Silk Road intends to reconnect China with Africa, the Middle East, and Europe through a railway network, airports, roads, seaports, and an optical fiber system. The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has three components. One Belt, One Road (OBOR) is based upon two parts of the BRI; the maritime Silk Road and the Silk Road economic belt. OBOR is based upon six economic corridors. The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is the smartest corridor under OBOR, which passes only through Pakistan, and after completion, will provide a safe and cheap route for China to import oil and energy. CPEC is a multidimensional project under which much infrastructure development initiative has been started to improve the infrastructure and economic development of Pakistan. Infrastructure development is an essential requirement in economic growth, one which further leads to industrialization and is helpful in economic development. The present study was conducted in Pakistan and explored how infrastructure development under the CPEC is useful for the sustainable development of Pakistan, as well as which kind of infrastructure development projects have been included in the CPEC to improve the socio-economic paradigm of Pakistan. A sample of 500 respondents was selected through a multistage sampling technique from the two-node cities. A questionnaire survey was used to collect primary data. The results of the study show that the CPEC is a catalyst for Pakistan to improve its socio-economic conditions and to achieve sustainable development. The participants of the survey agreed that CPEC will improve the socio-economic paradigm of Pakistan and will be helpful in the achievement of sustainable development goals.

https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/11/21/6143/pdf

Sustainable Development under Belt and Road Initiative: A Case Study of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor’s Socio-Economic Impact on Pakistan

This study aims to explore whether religiosity influences consumer purchase behavior among Muslim consumers in Pakistan.,An in-depth, semi-structured interview protocol was developed and administered to a sample of 90 participants, both male and female, across eight metropolitan cities of Pakistan. Professionals, university students and housewives were part of the sample. NVivo Version 11 was used for data analysis to answer the research questions raised in this study. Moreover, the purposive sampling method has been used in this research.,The behavior of consumers was found to vary with the degree of involvement and the degree of religiosity. Study findings are divided into three themes. Firstly, a high level of religiosity makes Muslim consumers follow the Islamic principles of food consumption, by evaluating the product ingredients, spending moderately and verifying a halal logo at the time of purchase. Secondly, a major theme is the view that religiosity has no influence on food consumption; it is more about individuals’ needs and priorities. Finally, the consumers’ overall perception of quality, product value, purity and health consciousness over-powers the concept of religiosity.,Because of its qualitative and exploratory nature, the generalizability of this paper is limited. In addition to that, this research is just focused on one Muslim country.,This study suggests that western food exporters may use religiosity and other factors as probable segmentation variables to effectively position their brands. Religious images and other factors may be highlighted in product packaging and communication campaigns by marketers to gain recognition and usage of western food and consumption among religious, Pakistani Muslim consumers. The output of this research may support prospective entrants into the food business; those interested in exploring the Asian consumer market. Findings from this study may also be helpful for those in the west interested in exploring Pakistan as an emerging consumer market.,The presence of western imported food may improve the quality of life by having more opportunities and healthier options for the nation. Western food products can also bring cultural convergence whereby the underdeveloped nation feels upgraded and modern. Moreover, if the western food products are certified halal, the product has a fair chance of adoption and penetration in the society. Also, the food products coming from the western world induces mindfulness, people are more aware about innovative and useful ingredients that can satisfy their taste buds, improve their health, increase their life expectancy and contented approach toward life.,Thus far, limited research has analyzed religiosity of an overwhelmingly Muslim population and its impact on consumer behavior. This study is a preliminary effort to provide a basic understanding of the behavior of Pakistani Muslims, who have been insufficiently investigated by marketing and consumer researchers. The intriguing results are to remind marketers that there are several factors that govern religiosity and lead to a purchase decision.

Is religiosity an important consideration in Muslim consumer behavior: Exploratory study in the context of western imported food in Pakistan

The study is based on validating and exploring the effects of a mega project plan (CPEC) on infrastructure development and Sustainable Project Management. The CPEC has great importance to infrastructure development and economy-boosting. The current study's primary aim is to deal with environmental protection, economic boost up, international relations influencing to the Project's success. The paper also addressed project management as a moderator between environmental protection, economic boost up, international relations, and the CPEC project's success. The primary data has been gathered by using questionnaires, and PLS-SEM has been employed for the analysis. The results revealed that environmental protection, economy boost up, and international relations have a positive association with the success of CPEC. The outcomes also exposed that project management moderating among the nexus of economy boosts up the international relations and success of CPEC. The present study results guided how Pakistan and China make the CPEC project stronger with the efficient implementation of practices required for protecting the environment, with the economic growth and boost up, and good strong relations with foreign countries. This study was an attempt to validate the different factors to check their association with each other in a new environment, resulting in a leading edge for the success of mega projects that influence project management.

/pdf/exploring-and-validating-the-effects-of-mega-projects-on-3fwer6s9gm.pdf

Exploring and Validating the Effects of Mega Projects on Infrastructure Development Influencing Sustainable Environment and Project Management.

In order to fight against the COVID-19 pandemic the government of Saudi Arabia launched three mobile applications namely Tetamman, Tabaud & Tawakkalna to keep the public aware about the corona virus and ensure monitoring of the suspected cases The objective of this study is to curb the spread of COVID-19 by enhancing social measures and investigate the role of mobile applications in achievement of this objective Comprehensive review of the role of mobile applications was made and a survey approach was used to evaluate the effectiveness of these applications Findings of the study indicate that the users perceive that the applications are successful in achievement of the objectives for which these applications were launched The key performance indicators (KPIs) included in the survey were efficiency, ease of use, satisfaction of users, fulfilment of purpose, usefulness and helpfulness etc The average number of respondents, who agreed that these applications are performing according to the mentioned KPIs, is 86 6% for Tetamman, 80 5% for Tabaud and 90% for Tawakkalna More awareness campaigns are needed so that more people adopt the use of these applications, which could significantly help in identification of new cases and enhance telehealth and teleconsultations Moreover, the applications should be upgraded for self-triage

/pdf/mobile-applications-to-fight-against-covid-19-pandemic-the-348mn6vkuc.pdf

Mobile Applications to Fight against COVID-19 Pandemic: The Case of Saudi Arabia

In this research manuscript studies to investigate the association between tourism and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in emerging countries by selecting Malaysia from amongst the developing countries. The connection among tourism and FDI growth has been argued whether tourism contributes to the growth of FDI or it is impacted by growth of the economies (economic-driven tourism development). This paper studies the impact of tourism on Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) growing in Malaysia. The purpose of this paper is to identify the key factors influencing foreign direct investment (FDI) in the Malaysia tourism business. This is done in order to effectively attract and withstand FDI as well as to remain economical.

/pdf/empirical-analysis-of-tourism-as-a-tool-to-increase-foreign-1hdhanb5np.pdf

Empirical Analysis of Tourism as a Tool to Increase Foreign Direct Investment in Developing Country: Evidence from Malaysia

Retailing plays a key role in the economic development of a country. Retail is the 2 nd largest industry in the US in terms of numbers of employees as well as in terms of establishment. The number of employees engaged in retail sector in one way or other way is more than 23 million and they generate revenue high than $3milion per year. Pakistan retail sector play a key role in the economy of the country. The total turnover of the retail sector in Pakistan is 17% of the GDP. Pakistan is basically an agriculture country and 62% of the total population is directly or indirectly engaged in the agriculture sector but still the agriculture sector cannot fulfil the food requirement of Pakistan and she has to import food products from other countries. An average Pakistani spends 42% of his income on food item. Pakistan is emerging market for the import of food products.

http://fac.ksu.edu.sa/sites/default/files/the_retail_food_sector_in_pakistan.pdf

The Retail Food Sector in Pakistan

Pak China relation in friendship and trade begins since China’s year of independence 1949. Pakistan is the first country in the world to accept china at UNO forum. China respects the stand and support of Pakistan. China is the only country in the world, which helps Pakistan at every forum, for instance trade, commerce, agriculture, defence etc. Presently they are contributing on large scale in Power and Energy sector to tackle the shortage of electricity and power problems in Pakistan. Additionally China is helping Pakistan in defence related activities. In long-term the two governments have accorded to continue to play the lead role in providing a strategic framework and institutions of cooperation and guiding and facilitating economic and commercial interaction. The two countries agreed to strengthen the cooperation between the private enterprises, which will be the real operators. Collaboration between research institutions will help in analysing the situation, identifying the potential areas and providing assessment that will help the collaboration process. An interaction between government agencies, business community and the research institutions will have synergic impact.

https://irmbrjournal.com/papers/1382243224.pdf

Pak-China Economic Alliance to Bring Prosperity in Region

The discovery of interrelationship among intellectual Property Rights (IPRs), Nation Branding (NB) and Economic Development (ED) is a recent phenomenon which highlights non-material aspects of a country as a consistent source of economic development. The importance of human and intellectual capital and increasing shares of services in global market are becoming emerging phenomena worldwide. This paper highlights the interrelationship among IPRs, NB and ED to reveal the role of the non-material and nonconventional dimensions such IPRs and NB in Economic development. Brand’ is a useful summary of the intangible competitive assets of a country: its vision, its genius, its distinctive character, its people, and its promise to the marketplace. These are the factors which, when aligned around a clear strategy, give it sustainable competitive advantage. Finding of the study suggests that there may be various reasons of ineffective relationship between intangible assets of poorer countries and economic growth of the country, but brand theory suggests that lacking a powerful strategy for deploying a productive and harmonized way is the major reason.

/pdf/nation-branding-intellectual-property-rights-and-economic-5e97nysvay.pdf

Manzoor Ahmed

Papers

Mobile Applications to Fight against COVID-19 Pandemic: The Case of Saudi Arabia

Empirical Analysis of Tourism as a Tool to Increase Foreign Direct Investment in Developing Country: Evidence from Malaysia

The Retail Food Sector in Pakistan

Pak-China Economic Alliance to Bring Prosperity in Region

Nation Branding, Intellectual Property Rights and Economic Development Nexus: A Prescriptive Approach