For the real development of tourism
Monday, 10 August 2009
Nowadays different organisations often organise tourism fairs in Bangladesh, in which mainly outbound tour packages are sold. Sending tourists from Bangladesh to other countries cannot be treated as the development of tourism in our country.
These fairs are sellers' fairs in character from the perspective of Bangladesh as the foreign exhibitors or their counterparts in Bangladesh sell outbound tour packages, and only a few offer domestic tour packages. Instead of helping the country earn foreign currency through tourism, the sellers' fairs help in depletion of the foreign exchange reserve of the country.
We need buyers' fairs, where foreign buyers (travel agents) will come to Bangladesh to get offers of tour packages, so that they may send tourists to our country. If we cannot arrange this type of fair, then it is better for our country that we refrain from organising sellers' fairs. With insignificant foreign exchange reserve, Bangladesh cannot have the luxury of encouraging its people to go for holidays outside the country. Anybody has the legal right to organise a sellers' tourism fair; but they must not say that they are organising this sort of fair for the development of tourism in the country.
Kabita Rahman
Gulshan, Dhaka.
These fairs are sellers' fairs in character from the perspective of Bangladesh as the foreign exhibitors or their counterparts in Bangladesh sell outbound tour packages, and only a few offer domestic tour packages. Instead of helping the country earn foreign currency through tourism, the sellers' fairs help in depletion of the foreign exchange reserve of the country.
We need buyers' fairs, where foreign buyers (travel agents) will come to Bangladesh to get offers of tour packages, so that they may send tourists to our country. If we cannot arrange this type of fair, then it is better for our country that we refrain from organising sellers' fairs. With insignificant foreign exchange reserve, Bangladesh cannot have the luxury of encouraging its people to go for holidays outside the country. Anybody has the legal right to organise a sellers' tourism fair; but they must not say that they are organising this sort of fair for the development of tourism in the country.
Kabita Rahman
Gulshan, Dhaka.