Bangladesh is one of the beautiful countries in the world endowed with the bounty of nature. It has six seasons providing varied and enchanting scenic beauty and no other country in the world has the seasonal variety like that in Bangladesh. Both the government and the people here are working hard to earn the nation the middle income country status and we were able to achieve a lot of success in that direction. But we could improve further our performance in all indicators, if we could utilise our God-gifted natural beauty in a planned way like Malaysia, Thailand and even the Maldives. A large number of countries in the world were able to develop economically utilising only the tourism sector. Despite having plenty of beautiful and tourism-friendly spots, varied cultures, places of historical importance and cultural heritage, still we are far away from utilising these to make tourism a profitable industry that could contribute significantly to economic development of the country.
Tourism is one of the fastest growing and single largest industries in the world. Contribution of the tourism industry both globally and nationally is really amazing. Many countries in the world depend on tourism as a main source of foreign exchange earnings. This continued growth in tourism business throughout the world is encouraging and nations are becoming more inclined to attract more tourists and trying to promote this sector as a major contributor to economic development. Bangladesh is of no exception. The country has been trying since the inception of this industry to attract more tourists to its beautiful spots and earn more foreign currencies from this sector.
However, Bangladesh can promote its tourism attractions like natural beauty, beaches, forests, lakes, hills, wildlife, archaeological sites, monuments, handicrafts, sanctuaries, religious festivals, folklore, cultural heritage, way of life, tribal culture etc to quench the thirst of tourists. We feel proud of having three beautiful beaches at Cox's Bazar, Kuakata and Parki. They could easily attract world tourists by offering the opportunity of surfing silvery waves, bathing in warm shark-free water, strolling along their miles of golden sands, watching Buddhist temples and the diversified tribal cultures. Cox's Bazar has the longest 120km-long unbroken beach and it is called the tourist capital of Bangladesh. The Kuakata beach is known for observing the scenic beauty of both sunrise and sunset from the seashore. It has made it one of the most attractive tourist spots in the world. Tourists can enjoy the view of the river Karnafuli and the Bay of Bengal together and can watch big ships anchored at the outer dock. They can see fishermen catching fish in the sea, sunset, crabs of varied colours etc at the Parki beach. We have attractive islands like St. Martin's, Moheshkhali, Kutubdia etc. They are awash with natural beauty. St. Martin's Island is the only coral island in the country and the Moheshkhali Island is known for hills that could definitely enchant world tourists.
Bangladesh is a country highly rich in archaeological wealth and its major archaeological sites include Mainamoti, Paharpur, Mahasthangarh etc. We have the world heritage site Sundarbans. Home to the world-famous Royal Bengal Tiger, it is the largest mangrove forest in the world. It has beautiful trees like Sundari and is criss-crossed by many rivers and creeks. There are some other forests like Sal forests in Mymensingh, Gazipur and Comilla and lush-green forests in Sylhet, Mymensingh and Chittagong Hill Tracts. They all have the capability of attracting tourists from all over the world. The attractive hilly regions in Rangamati, Bandarban, Khagrachhari, Netrakona, Sherpur, Sunamganj and Sylhet are far different from the rest of the country. These areas are inhabited by different ethnic communities who have their own lifestyles and cultures that must attract tourists. We have the Kaptai Lake in Rangamati, Foy's Lake in Chittagong, Madhabpur Lake in Moulvibazar etc. There is a big waterfall at Madhabkunda in Moulvibazar. There are other small falls in three hill districts. They are very good tourist attractions.
Bangladesh is rich in heritage of classical dances, arts and music. This tradition is living on among both Bengali artists and those from ethnic communities. Bangladesh has also a rich and diverse culture, influenced by three main religions-Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism. The traditional music, tribal dances, drama and theatre are old traditions and very popular in Bangladesh. Moreover, we have kind-hearted, generous and laborious people who can easily attract tourists from all over the world. The country has also identified some new potential tourism spots like the Humhum falls at Kamolganj upazila under Moulvibazar district and Bichnakandi under Sylhet district. There are the residences of ethnic people built in their own unique styles in tea gardens in Sylhet, Mymensingh, Netrakona, Sherpur, Moulvibazar etc that may attract tourists to a great extent.
Though the tourism industry and its market have grown phenomenally worldwide, it has not happened in Bangladesh. The lack of proper promotional activities is one of the major reasons for the industry lagging behind. Tourists need to know properly about the attractions, services, facilities, etc. available here. Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation (BPC) or other concerned authorities could not meet this requirement in the absence of required funds and foresightedness of the decision-makers. As a result, this sector and its market have failed to grow properly. But time has not yet run out. Still there are a lot of scopes and opportunities. Bangladesh needs to develop infrastructural facilities at the tourist attractions and ensure easy access there. Establishing hotels, motels, resorts etc with arrangements for angling, water-skiing, river cruising, hiking, rowing, surfing, yachting, shopping, enjoying cultural show etc can make them more attractive. Our policy makers failed to make available world class transport facilities to the travellers. Besides, they did not take initiatives to beautify the tourist spots and create the required skilled manpower in the sector so that they can provide world-class services to the tourists. Therefore, the GO-NGO (government vs non-government) collaboration is the only way of removing all the hindrances to making Bangladesh a paradise for tourists. Certainly this will help earn more foreign exchanges and thus contribute to economic development.
The writer is working for primary education in Bangladesh.
Email: auparbayazidkhan@gmail.com
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