Developing Bangladesh's tourism industry--

FE Team | Published: November 18, 2023 18:40:39

Bangladesh is located in the connecting point of South and South East Asian countries. And it is home to the longest sandy sea beach (Cox's Bazar), and the largest mangrove forest (Sundarbans) in the world. The country has many places to offer to both local and foreign travellers with its scenic beauty, ethnic diversity, unique cuisine, rich heritage and historical sites, and much more. Tourism plays a vital role in economic growth. Visitors help a country earn foreign currency. Tourism also creates employment opportunities. Although the country has so many attractive places to visit, the tourism department has failed to introduce itself as a tourist-friendly country. In our country, tourism sector contributes slightly over 3 per cent to the national GDP (growth domestic product), whereas in the Maldives one-third of the GDP comes from tourism. Studies shows that with its natural beauty, ancient relics and hospitality, Bangladesh possesses the potential to be a decent tourist destination in South Asia. Tourism can be a great way to diversify not only the foreign currency earning capacity of the country, but also the productive capacity of the economy of Bangladesh.
Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation (BPC) is working to improve our tourism sector but the best has not yet come. There are some measures that we can follow to improve this industry. The security arrangements for the tourist spots must be improved and maintained strictly. We need to introduce courses on tourism and hotel management in our universities. Quality hotels, resorts and restaurants should be built in a planned way across the country. Besides, more commercials, blogs, advertisements should be published and aired so that our tourist spots can be familiar to the tour-lovers of home and abroad. These steps, we think, would enhance Bangladesh's tourism potential.
Samia Jabin Joti and K.M. Readowan Rashed Rubab,
Students of Department of Marketing,
Jahangirnagar University, Savar, Dhaka,
samiajabin99@gmail.com