Impact of Mansehra-Muzaffarabad-Mirpur (M3) Expressway on Tourism in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJ&K)
Abstract
Roads serve as the major means of transportation for goods, services, and
mobility across Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJ&K), which also has
significant tourism potential. The construction of the M3 expressway
under China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is currently awaiting
government approval. Literature indicates that no study has examined the
impact of the CPEC project on tourism growth so far. Therefore, it is
essential to investigate its effect on tourist arrivals in AJ&K. The current
study aimed to explore residents’ perceptions regarding the impact of
constructing the Mansehra–Muzaffarabad–Mirpur (M3) expressway on
tourist inflow in AJ&K. Moreover, it assessed whether the M3 expressway
would improve connectivity in AJ&K. This research was motivated by the
existing gap in studies and the importance of understanding public opinion
on megaprojects. Furthermore, it helped in assessing local perspectives as
to how the construction of the M3 expressway influences tourist
movement and is valuable for policymakers to forecast the effects of new
road projects on tourism development in AJ&K. The study gathered
primary data from 200 local respondents across all three divisions of
AJ&K via a structured questionnaire, and the Binary Logit regression was
estimated using the Maximum Likelihood method. The findings suggested
that the construction of the M3 expressway under CPEC enhances
connectivity and boosts tourism in AJ&K.
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