Religious tourism is one of the newer forms of tourism in Bangladesh with a tendency to develop. Religion has been a way of life and is an integral part of the Bangladeshi tradition permeating into the day to day life and as such holy or revered sites, religious festivals continue to draw visitors' attention not only from within the country but also from abroad. International tourists are no longer driven by sun, sand, surf and snow only, but also interested in cultural/ religious heritage. Many of the potential international tourists are moving to visit religious destinations. They also prefer to enjoy undiscovered religious and cultural objects. Besides leisure and business, religious travellers also account for a sizeable chunk of the tourism industry. According to the World Tourism Organization, an estimated 300 to 330 million pilgrims visit the world's key religious sites every year. According to Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation, some 8,983 tourists visited Bangladesh for religious purpose in 2009. The pull of religious tourism is becoming stronger among domestic tourists as well. Through optimum utilization of pilgrimage centres, mosques, temples, pagodas, churches religious festivals-events, the multifarious rituals as tourism products, Bangladesh can attract a large number of tourists.
Religious tourism is one such overlooked area where Bangladesh has immense potential. Bangladesh, with its rich history and heritage has always been a hub for different religious activities and preachers and saints from nearly all the major religions had made their base in this country at some point of time or other. Islam is the official religion in Bangladesh and is practiced by some 88 per cent of the country's inhabitants. Followers of the Hindu religion amount to around 10 per cent of the country's population. Making up 0.5 per cent to 1.0 per cent of the population are followers of the Theravada school of Buddhism, most of whom reside in the Chittagong Hills. Christians make up another 1.0 per cent of total population. Tribes in the Chittagong Hills have formed their own religion, a blending of Buddhism and tribal rituals. Be it Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism or Christianity - major establishments and other remnants from the past still remain on the soils of this land beckoning those who are interested to come and discover. Bangladesh hosts some of the most beautiful mosques like Baitul Mukarram Mosque, Star Mosque, Shat Gombuj Mosque, Kherua Mosque, Bojra Shahi Mosque, Sona Mosque, Khaja Mosque, Musa Kha Mosque, Tin Gombuj Mosque etc. There are many prominent shrines like Shrine of Saint Hazrat Shah Jalal, Shrine of Hazrat Shah Paran, Shrine of Hazrat Bayezid Bostami, Hazrat Shah Amanat Dargah Sharif. Hindu temples are more or less distributed all across the country and carry a long history. Magnificent temples in our country are Dhakeshwari Temple, Ramna Kali Mandir, Jagannath Temple, Kantajee's Temple, Chandranath Temple, Govinda Temple, Sri Chaitanya Temple, Shiva Temple etc. We have Mainamati - seat of lost dynasties - which is also known as Buddhist Vihara (monastery). There is another Buddhist Vihara in Munshiganj. Ramu, Cox's Bazar is known as Buddhist village for monasteries, khyangs and pagodas etc. Again we have Archbishop's House, Armenian Church, Churches St Mary's Cathedral, Holy Rosary Church.
In Bangladesh religious festivals and events are so deeply rooted in the social organism that they continue to entertain from generation to generation. Bishwa Ijtema, the second largest Tablighi Jamaat gathering and Islamic movement of Muslims in the world after Hajj is held annually in Bangladesh. The Rathyatra, Ulta Rathyatra and Langalbandh Snan are prominent in Bangladesh attracting million of devotees from all over the world. We also can develop religious tourism in Bangladesh through religious festivals like Eid-ul-Fitr, Eid-ul-Adha, Ashura, Milad-un-Nabi, Shab-e-Barat, Ramadan, Shab-e-Qadr, Durga Puja, Saraswati Puja, Lakshmi Puja, Maha Shivratri, Dolyatra or Holi, Kali Puja, Charak Puja, Krishna Janmashtami, Baishakhi Purnima, Ashadi Purnima, Sravani Purnima, Madhu Purnima, Pravarana Purnima, Maghi Purnima, Falguni Purnima, Christmas, Easter Sunday and so on.
The government has already undertaken some development projects in recent times and established some hotels, motels, and rest houses in religious tourism destinations. It has started implementing the recommendations of the strategic Master Plan prepared by the WTO with the assistance of the ILO phase by phase. The peace treaty agreement signed by the Government of Bangladesh (GOB) and the Jano Sanghati Samity (JSS) has opened new opportunities for the development of tourism in the Chittagong which has abundance of Buddhist tourists' attractions. In Bishwa Ijtema the number of devotees is increasing day by day and that's why Ijtema is now held in two phases since 2012 in order to accommodate such a large number of people. In Biswa Iztima, 2014 the government has taken a significant move to render adequate medical services to thousands of devotees. Apart from government initiatives, non-governmental organizations have set up 45 camps there. The government has formed a special visa-cum-reception cell comprising representatives of intelligence agencies, the passport department and the Tablig Jamaat of the Kakrail Mosque to issue 'visa on arrival' at Shahjalal International Airport for foreign devotees during the Bishwa Ijtema. More than 10,000 uniformed and undercover security forces would be deployed in and around the Ijtema venue on the bank of the river Turag before the three-day congregation.
Potential challenges in developing religious tourism in Bangladesh are lack of legal and policy framework, terrorist attacks on religious tourism destinations, infringement of carrying capacity, monetizing religion. In the case of large religious events and gatherings, challenges include how best to manage flows and access in order to ensure that participants are received and accommodated under proper hygienic and public-health conditions (including the allocation of appropriate food services for participants who observe the dietary rules prescribed by their religions), guarantee the safety and security of persons and their property, provide assistance for the sick, the elderly and children who may get lost. Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism should institute a separate board to prepare and implement plans to provide necessary facilities to the devotees and also ensure conservation of cultural atmosphere consistent with sentiments of visiting devotees. Ministries concerned need to tie up with other ministries such as the railways, transport, urban development, so that the infrastructure gets an impetus. The prices of religious tourism products should focus only for the tertiary services provided and not for the actual services of the religious flavours one intends to experience. The government should issue Visa on Arrival (VoA) during Rathayatra, Langalbandh Snan for the Buddhist and Hindu tourists from across the globe. The ministry concerned should draw up plans to attract more tourists from Hindu and Buddhist countries by providing them with special facilities. Attracting the tourist segments that are not attracted to religious sites, needs a holistic package around the religious spots. Marketing religious tourism destinations needs special training as quite a major part of the visitors are attracted to these destinations due to reasons like studying old culture, evolution of practices and research. The government should take steps like special marketing strategy, developing tourism circuits and scrutinizing religious trusts to boost religious tourism in the country. Being a non-communal country, Bangladesh can take comparative advantages over SAARC countries in boosting domestic as well as international religious travel and contribute significantly to the economy. And it will help to accelerate money rotation and lead to multiply effect in the economy and help local populations get self-employment and thereby reduce their poverty.
The writer is Lecturer, Victoria University of Bangladesh. porna_143@yahoo.com
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