Culture of ethnic minorities across the world has always been a tourists' delight. Thousands of foreign tourists visiting South Asian countries make it a point to savour the exquisite beauty of such colourful and varied cultures of ethnic groups. That is why India and Nepal draw the biggest segment of such tourists.
Four south-eastern and north and north-western hill districts could have been treasure-troves for both domestic and foreign tourists. Tourists certainly love to see and enjoy things that are money's worth. Khagracchari, Bandarban and Rangamati, grouped under the Chittasgong Hill Tracts, Garo hills in Mymensingh, Netrakona, Sylhet and Rajshahi offer priceless and hitherto-unseen cultures to the tourists.
Lush green high lands in deep forests with colourful ethnic minorities having their distinct lifestyles, friendly attitudes and cultural traits could mesmerise tourists provided the inhabitants there are involved with various tourism projects. The ethnic minorities too must be recognised as stakeholders in such ventures so that they do not feel alienated due to outside interference. Comfortable accommodation and foolproof security of tourists must also be ensured.
Only eyes can believe what these hilly areas can offer to tourists. Years ago, once a dishonest manpower trader picked up four job-seekers who paid Tk 2,00,000 each for work in Thailand. The job-seekers, illiterate as they were, were first taken by Biman to Chittagong and from there to Khagrachhari. A car took them deep into forests near a mole hill. Telling the job-seekers that they were already in Thailand and asking them to wait, the manpower trader went to a bush to respond to nature's call. But then he was never to be located. The trader reportedly fled the area to Dhaka. The cheated job-seekers had no reasons to disbelieve him because they saw in their own eyes that the place was completely different from their own districts and the residents looked like Thais.
On August 21 last, a very useful roundtable on potential of hill districts for tourism was held in Dhaka. The government should consider ideas and suggestions of the ethnic leaders on tourism dished out there. The tourism minister was also present at the roundtable which was told that tourism business in the hills is destroying lifestyle of the minorities by violating their property and human rights. Leaders of ethnic minorities, however, said, engagement of ethnic minorities in tourism development in their areas should be ensured to protect nature, forests and life of the minorities.
The Bangladesh Indigenous Peoples' Forum (BIPF), the Kapaeeng Foundation and the ActionAid Bangladesh jointly organised the discussion on 'Tourism and Development in Indigenous People-prone Areas: Engagement of Indigenous People and Role of Government'.
BIPF general secretary Sanjeeb Drong said tourism business is going on in the habitats of national minorities, but their proper participation is being denied. 'We demand that the authorities take note for caring the thoughts of the indigenous people about tourism and the way those people could be engaged in tourism,' he said.
Former Information Commissioner Sadeka Halim alleged that the tourism industry is booming in the hills, grabbing lands of the ethnic minorities who believe in customary land rights. 'Tourism cannot be developed denying customary land rights of the indigenous people; it cannot be flourished on the blood of indigenous people', she said. Sadeka said tourism in the hills is dominated by Bengalis, although the hills are abodes of the ethnic minorities.
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