Plan to rebuild Bangladesh’s image in JATA expo after terror attack

Bangladesh Tourism Board will hold an image-building programme styled as “Showcasing Bangladesh” in the sidelines of JATA Tourism Expo next month in the Japanese capital Tokyo, official sources said. Dhaka terror attack which targeted mainly foreigners including Japanese prompted the authorities to make the plan. The event will begin from September 22. Earlier, BTB also held a meeting with different stakeholders in the backdrop of deadly terror attacks which could hurt the country’s tourism prospects. Meanwhile, the government plans to discuss the security issue further with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jaica) and Japan Association of Travel Agents (JATA). BTB will have a crisis management team to deal with the current situation prevailing since the Dhaka attack which forced many foreigners to cancel their planned trips to Bangladesh. “Understanding the present situation, we have decided to arrange an image-building programme in Japan to restore confidence of Japanese people about Bangladesh,” said Nikhil Ranjan Roy, BTB director (joint secretary). Officials said Bangladesh pavilion in the event will carry a message “Stop terrorism, boost up tourism.” BTB will also organise a seminar in the Japanese city of Osaka on September 29. The topic will be “Bangladesh’s tourism and the government steps against terrorism.” Bangladeshis living in Japan and Japanese who are involved with development projects in Bangladesh will participate in the seminar. “There should be a big programme in Japan highlighting Bangladesh’s positive things and its potentials. About terrorism, we all have to understand that Bangladesh is not separate from global terrorism map,” said Masud Hossain, managing director of Bengal Tours. According to the tourism industry insiders, around 20,000 Japanese tourists used to travel Bangladesh every year. “Japan is a big market for us. We must be careful so the long-time relation between our two nations will not be compromised,” Masud said. Bangladesh embassy in Japan will help the BTB organise the “Showcasing Bangladesh” programme. On July 1, militants stormed an upscale restaurant in the capital’s diplomatic zone. According to the government report, nine Italians, seven Japanese, one Indian and three Bangladeshis were killed in the attack.