A courageous entry

A  recent data of SME Foundation shows 10 per cent of the total entrepreneurs of Bangladesh are women. But women's participation in tour operation is still less than one per cent. It is widely acknowledged that greater participation of women in hospitality and tourism sector can held enrich the sector. Experts say women's participation in hospitality and tourism sector has not reached to the level the industry itself has grown. Women are involved in greater numbers in garments, airlines, fashion designing, agriculture or some other small and medium businesses. But they are still reluctant to take up hospitality and tourism as profession due to the social stigma about the profession and professional hazards they face.
Nurani Sharmin is one of the few women in Bangladesh who has taken up tour operation business as a profession by choice which is a rare case. She is literally out of these sorts of prejudice about the profession and from the very beginning she likes tourism as a profession. She first joined other companies as an executive as soon as she completed her Masters degree from the University of Dhaka in 2002. Then after a brief interval she started her own business in 2006, Autarky Tours. Although she was married by this time, her banker husband did not join her. She was passionate about the profession and knew her job. The main attraction for her was to meet new people and represent Bangladesh and its culture to those who did not know or had misconceptions about the country. Later her husband joined her business when she had her first baby.
Nurani Sharmin, chief executive officer of Autarky Tours, handles about 5000 tourists yearly. Among her tourists, Chinese people dominate followed by Japanese, Korean, Thai, European, Indian and Middle Eastern.
"I love traveling and meeting new people. I saw the same tendency in my father who loved to travel," Sharmin told the FE in an interview.
Regarding the challenges in the profession, she said social barriers work as the major challenge as the concept of tourism is not clear to the people of Bangladesh. In case of women's involvement, they relate it to some unethical practice or exploitation of women including entertainment of the tourists.
"At the very beginning of my career, many local male tourists used to ask me to be their companion as they saw it in countries like Thailand. I felt embarrassed. But gradually I have overcome the situation," Ms Sharmin said. Also security is a big concern in Bangladesh for a women's free movement, she added.
Sharmin said sometimes she had to work till midnight to get her tourists settled at a hotel and take care of their necessities. In this case, Sharmin feels it is tough to work late night and with men and outside home without family's support.
Sharmin now employs eight staffs in her company. She has a separate transport company with three other partners where there are six tourist vehicles.
"I never got any government support in initiating or running tourism business. I sought for bank loan to buy tourist vehicles, but they never gave me loan," she said.
"I have bought six vehicles with the help of my partners and two vehicles with my family's help," Sharmin added.
Sharmin completed several tourism related courses at Dhaka Chambers of Commerce and Industry (DCCI) and Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation (BPC).
"I think the skill development opportunity to take up tourism as a profession is scarce here," said Sharmin, adding: Although many universities are offering courses on hospitality and tourism the students are not learning the fundamental and practical things that are essential to be successful in the profession as those courses are theory-based.
 "If I want a professional guide or any other skilled professional for my company, I will not get any one suitable from these students who have completed university degree in hospitality and tourism," said Sharmin.
Regarding her future plan, Sharmin said she wants to project a prestigious image of Bangladesh to the world.
 "People have many bad perceptions about us. Their idea is Bangladeshi people are corrupt, dishonest and the country is politically unstable and many more. I want to dispel their misgivings," Sharmin said.