Our Correspondent
CHITTAGONG, Jan 13: Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister AKM Shahjahan Kamal has said Biman Bangladesh Airlines and the tourism sector of the country will see 'spectacular changes' in next nine months.
He also termed Chittagong an industrial hub and spoke of potential for developing tourism industry in the city and its adjoining areas.
The minister assured the businesspeople in Chittagong to try his level best to develop the tourism sector in the days to come at a views exchange meeting at the Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) in the city Friday evening.
He said the runway of Chittagong Shah Amanat International Airport will be extended to 800 metres while government land would be leased out to the private sector entrepreneurs for investment after identifying attractive tourist spots in Chittagong and other parts of the country.
He also expressed the willingness to have an exhaustive meeting in near future with the entrepreneurs of Chittagong for development of the tourism sector and requested the trade body to send formal proposals to the ministry in this regard.
Presided over by CCCI president Mahbubul Alam, the views exchange
meeting was also addressed by Chittagong Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Monowara Hakim Ali, CCCI directors Kamal Mostafa Chowdhury, Syed Sagir Ahmed, Anjan Shekhar Das, immediate past director Mahfuzul Haque Shah, former director of Bangladesh Knitwear
Manufacturer and Exporters Association (BKMEA), among others.
Honourary Consul of Myanmar Md Hakim Ali, CCCI directors Sarwar Hassan Jamil and Mujibur Rahman, Awami League leaders Sheikh Mahmud Ishaq, Mahbubul Haque Meah, Hossain Murad, Abdul Matin Master, Imam Hossain, Bibi Mariam and Amena Khatun were present on the occasion.
CCCI president Mahbubul Alam placed a number of proposals for tourism
development that included modernisation of the Chittagong airport, expansion of its runway and introduction of more international flights, providing special facilities to expatriate workers and businesspeople at the airport, taking effective steps for flourishing tourism industry in Chittagong, Cox's Bazaar, Chittagong Hill Tracts and tourism-potential areas of the country, strengthening security in and around the tourist points, modernisation of Patenga sea beach and construct double lane of Rangamati, Khagrachari, Bandarban and Kaptai roads connecting Chittagong.
On Friday morning, the minister met local Awami League leaders of two district and city units of Chittagong at the Chittagong Circuit House.
After the meeting, he told the media that Chittagong would be truly built into a commercial hub with tourism facilities, including Chittagong Airport runway extension, as a large number of foreigners visit the city on business purposes.
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