A hollow promotion of SAARC tourism
Mohammad Shahidul Islam | Friday, 29 August 2008
South Asia's centuries-old civilisation, its cultural and geographical diversity, its exquisite food, wonderful archaeological monuments, historical and religious sites and, above all, its friendly people, make the region an attractive tourist destination.
The region allures tourists from all over the world.
The leaders of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) never fail to pay lip service to the importance of tourism but do little to promote in the South Asian context.
Tourism has been an important subject of discussion in most of the SAARC summits.
South Asia, somehow, lacks the cooperation to jointly promote tourism in the region or project South Asia as a tourism destination.
The year 2005 was designated as "South Asia Tourism Year".
South Asia lacks a regional approach for promoting South Asian tourism. Food crisis, climate change and terrorism overshadow South Asian tourism though it can promote peace and prosperity in the region. A working group in tourism in 2004 made a number of recommendations for promotion of tourism in South Asia.
In reality, the recommendations proved to be hollow rhetorics.
The biggest country of South Asia coined expression 'people to people contact' only for the purpose of propaganda benefits. Bureaucratic control and red tape in South Asia, particularly the big country is good at creating confusion through jugglery of words.
(The writer, a trainer of hospitality management, can be reached at Email: [email protected])
The region allures tourists from all over the world.
The leaders of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) never fail to pay lip service to the importance of tourism but do little to promote in the South Asian context.
Tourism has been an important subject of discussion in most of the SAARC summits.
South Asia, somehow, lacks the cooperation to jointly promote tourism in the region or project South Asia as a tourism destination.
The year 2005 was designated as "South Asia Tourism Year".
South Asia lacks a regional approach for promoting South Asian tourism. Food crisis, climate change and terrorism overshadow South Asian tourism though it can promote peace and prosperity in the region. A working group in tourism in 2004 made a number of recommendations for promotion of tourism in South Asia.
In reality, the recommendations proved to be hollow rhetorics.
The biggest country of South Asia coined expression 'people to people contact' only for the purpose of propaganda benefits. Bureaucratic control and red tape in South Asia, particularly the big country is good at creating confusion through jugglery of words.
(The writer, a trainer of hospitality management, can be reached at Email: [email protected])