Global tourists to get all information in minutes

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FE Report
Tourists from all over the globe will get all kinds of tourism-related information within minutes as Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation (BPC) signed an agreement with a local software firm Tuesday.
Bangladesh's tourism industry stepped into the international arena by providing advanced services through cell phone sets. Travelers will get information about locations, accommodation facility, food, tradition and culture of the spots.
BPC senior officials made the disclosure in the signing ceremony at its headquarters where they signed a deal with SSL (Software Shop Limited) Wireless in connection with the service.
"People from any corner of the world can have access to tourism-related information in Bangladesh in details and in a cost-effective way if all these benefits are shared with the targeted group," BPC Chairman Hemayet Uddin Talukder said.
He said the move will help further develop the country's tourism industry by securing more revenues. "It's an initiative to bring tourism services to the doorstep of people all over the world," he said.
According to the agreement, the software firm will install the facility in two months and it will continue for the next three years. The BPC is funding the scheme.
CEO of SSL Wireless Syed Mohammad Kamal said, as a result of the agreement the tourists will be able to get all information through SMS (short message service), MMS (multimedia message service), IVR (interactive voice response) and call centre about tourist locations, brief history, hotel accommodation etc."
He also said new advanced services like hotel reservations through IVR and call centre service will be added gradually.
"Local as well as international tourists will be able to make their hotel reservation from abroad by using credit or debit cards through online payment service," he further said.
BPC General Manager (Admin & Public Relations) Md Asmaul Hossain and SSL Wireless General Manager Anisul Islam signed the accord on behalf of their respective sides.
Presided over by Mr. Hemayet Uddin Talukder, the ceremony was attended by the director (Finance & Admin), the director (Commercial) and the director (Planning) from BPC and Syed Mohammad Kamal, Assistant General Manager Ashish Chakraborty and Manager (Operations) Zahirul Islam from SSL Wireless, among others.
SSL Wireless has been working in the areas of mobile phone-based VAS (value added services) for the last five years bringing in innovative value added services for the financial and corporate sectors of Bangladesh.
It has been providing mobile banking services to most of the private and public banking institutions. It is also providing mobile insurance and stock trading services to insurance and brokerage houses.
In addition, it is the first provider of online merchant payment gateway services in Bangladesh that currently serves more than forty e-commerce merchants.