Despite being a nation of abundant greenery and scenic beauty, it is unfortunate that Bangladesh has yet to fully make good on its tourism potential. Given the government’s ambitious plans to transform the nation into a high-income economy within the coming decades, a thriving tourism sector that caters to the needs of both locals and foreigners will be absolutely key to that end.
As testified by the recent long holiday and the week-long tourism fair in Cox’s Bazar, indeed there is no shortage of holiday-makers who are willing to spend a lot just to get away from the bustle of city life. While it is true that local tourism has improved quite a lot in recent times, this must be treated as a stepping stone to make the overall experience for tourists far more enjoyable for international travellers as well.
Last year, the Bangladesh Tourism Board unveiled a master plan with the ambitious goal of attracting 10 million tourists and a revenue of $8 billion by the year 2041 -- little has been heard of that plan since its announcement, but it is high time that the sector became more transparent about how it would go about reaching these goals.
Tourism, despite the obvious advantages it presents to our economy, has been treated as a fledgling sector ever since our nation became independent, since a lack of any clear strategies and planning have relegated our tourism sector as a mere afterthought in our ascent as an economy. The government must shed such attitudes with regards to such a vital sector.
Bangladesh has all the ingredients in place to become a world-class tourism destination, it is high time we got the recipe right.