Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Muhammad Faruk Khan has said efforts are ongoing to attract foreign investment and develop the country's tourism sector under a master plan already formulated.
The tourism and aviation industry of the country progressed steadily over the past 15 years with the improvements in skills and capabilities, he told a meeting with the executive members of the 'Aviation and Tourism Journalists Forum of Bangladesh (ATJFB)' at his ministry conference room on Tuesday.
He sought cooperation of the mass media to accelerate the development trend.
"The fleet of the Biman Bangladesh Airlines has been organised according to the wholehearted wish of the Prime Minister," Mr Khan said, adding that new routes have been opened for the national flag carrier and flights to Rome would be resumed from March 26 next.
He said Biman authorities have an active plan to purchase new aircraft to start new routes while the private airliners were performing well in the industry.
He further informed the meeting that projects to modernise all the airports of the country are going on while the third terminal of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) is expected to be launched in October this year.
New radar has been installed and it will help increase revenues from aircraft flying through our airspace, he added.
The minister said the number of domestic tourists has increased due to different initiatives of the government and the private entrepreneurs. "Now we are working to increase the foreign tourists."
He assured journalists of providing all cooperation in discharging their duties and urged them to consider themselves as a stakeholder to properly portray the potentials of the sector.
Civil Aviation and Tourism Secretary Md Mokammel Hossain, Joint Secretary (Biman and CA) Md Sayed Kutub, and ATJFB President Tanzim Anwar, among others, were present at the meeting.
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