Bangladesh has set a target of attracting 10 million tourists and revenue of $8 billion by 2041, said consultants of the Tourism Master Plan on Wednesday.
Chief Executive Officer of Bangladesh Tourism Board Javed Ahmed also said: “Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina wants Bangladesh to be a developed nation by that year” at "Formulating Tourism Master plan" organized by the Bangladesh Tourism.
Bangladesh Tourism Board is preparing a master plan on the country’s tourism sector in cooperation with IPE Global Limited.
IPE Global Limited is an Indian international development consulting group known for providing technical assistance and solutions for development and sustainable growth in developing countries.
Sakshi Godara, the consultant of the project, said sanitation, safety and security and promotion of tourism zones are important in the sector.
Benjamin Carey, team leader of the Preparation for Tourism Master Plan for Bangladesh, gave an overview of the tourism sector of Bangladesh at the workshop.
Carey said that Bangladesh should target regional tourists to boost the tourism sector
“The political will of South Asian leaders is important in the context of easing and relaxing the visa process in promoting the tourism sector,” he said, adding that the time has come to introduce on-arrival visas to tourists of South Asian countries.
Carey further said that Bangladesh should target tourists of the Seven Sister States of India —Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland.
He, however, said less integration and distrust are also barriers to promotion in South Asia.
Carey has expressed the hope that the contribution of the tourism sector to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) will be around 10% which is now only 3% of GDP.
"Given tourism’s position as a top export sector and creator of employment, UNWTO advocates the need for responsible growth. Tourism has, therefore, a place at the heart of global development policies, and the opportunity to gain further political recognition and make a real impact as the Decade of Action gets underway, leaving just ten years to fulfill the 2030 Agenda and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals, " Carey said.
Carey further said that the tourism sector will be one of the important revenue-generating sectors in Bangladesh.
Priantha Fernando, a Sri Lankan consultant said that Bangladesh has a target of wooing 800,000 international tourists by 2025.
The year 2019 saw a new record for international tourist numbers, with 1.5 billion arrivals recorded, according to the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).
He said the number of international tourists in South Asia is still low compared with the rest of the global tourists.
Planning Minister MA Mannan and State Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism Md Mahbub Ali also spoke on the occasion.
Stakeholders of the tourism sector attended the seminar. The master plan may be complete by the end of this year.
