Travel trade in jeopardy as manpower export falls

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FE Report
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's travel to Saudi Arabia yesterday (Monday) evening on a four-day official visit is likely to bolster export of manpower to the kingdom anew, travel agents hoped.
Expecting all issues related to recruiting from Bangladesh to be resolved during the Prime Minister's visit, the Association of Travel Agents of Bangladesh (ATAB) President M A Muhaimin Saleh Monday said at a press conference that their business is mainly dependent on the Bangladeshi workers living abroad.
''The travel trade is facing a severe crisis as the country's manpower export market has been hit hard by the global downturn,'' Mr. Saleh said
The press conference was organised by ATAB at a city hotel to portray their sorry state in the face of declining manpower export and their expectation from the head of the government's visit to the kingdom.
According to the statistics of ATAB, the number of return air-passengers from Bangladesh was 3.45 million in 2006-07 fiscal year. At the end of the fiscal year 2007-2008, the number fell by 30 per cent to 2.41 million as some countries including Saudi Arabia and Kuwait stopped issuing visas to Bangladeshi workers.
The travel agency leaders fear at the close of the current fiscal year the number of air-passengers may come down by 50 per cent from that of 2007-08.
Mr Saleh said: ''If the downturn continues, travel agencies which mainly sell only tickets will be out of business. Seventy per cent of them have had almost no business for the last one year as the number of air-passengers dropped sharply, which is threatening the livelihood of 700,000 people employed in the sector, directly and indirectly.''
He said that in 2007, the number of air-travellers to the Middle Eastern countries was 26,000 per week. Now that number has come down to barely 12,000.
ATAB president said the airlines operating in Dhaka have cut their number of flights because of passenger crisis. ''Some airlines such as Best Air, RAK Air, Yemen Air and British Airways have stopped all flights which have adversely affected the income of the country's airports,'' he said
Many officials and employees have lost jobs because so many airlines have closed down their operation, he added.
Mr Saleh said: ''We have submitted a letter to the Prime Minister Sunday stating the problems being faced by the travel agents prior to her travel to Saudi Arabia.''
In the press conference ATAB president, on behalf of about 1600 travel agents, urged the government to request the Saudi government to resume recruiting Bangladeshi workers.
In 2007, Saudi Arabia hired 204,000 Bangladeshis. In 2008 the number was only 130,000. In January-February this year, the Kingdom employed only 2,500 workers from Bangladesh, sources said.
Recruitment was temporarily suspended in March last year that resulted in a significant drop of manpower export to that country.
He said over 2.5 million Bangladeshi workers are now living legally in Saudi Arabia.
The travel agents' leader urged the government to use all diplomatic means to convince Saudi Arabia to resume hiring workers from Bangladesh.
He also requested the prime minister to send special envoy to other countries to open manpower export from Bangladesh.
He hoped the prime minister's visit to Saudi Arabia, the largest Bangladeshi workers recipient, would bring a positive result for the country.
''The government should at least try to convince the Middle Eastern countries not to send back Bangladeshi workers whose work permits have expired or are to expire soon and renew their work permits.''
Although the migrant workers are returning home in numbers, there is still scope for Bangladeshi workers in the oil-rich Middle Eastern countries, he said adding that the government has to find out opportunities as it will take time to find new markets.
He said: ''Bilateral relationship should be strengthened so that the work permits are renewed.''
He alleged that Bangladesh's manpower market would not have become instable if officials of the embassies had been efficient enough.
He alleged that many countries have published negative news about Bangladesh which adversely affected the image of the nation.
The high commissions and embassies should take steps so that propaganda cannot be launched against Bangladesh in the media of those countries, he said.
Besides, the tourism sector of the country should be made competitive and presented in such a way that foreign visitors are attracted to visit.
He also requested the government to offer stimulus package for the sector so that it can protect itself from the impact of the economic crisis.
ATAB Secretary General A K M Bari, Treasurer Md Wahidul Ahmed and Deputy Secretary General Md Mustafizur Rahman were present at the press conference.