Govt seeks pvt sector investment for ETZ

Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Rashed Khan Menon on Friday urged the private sector to come up with a greater investment for developing exclusive tourism zones jointly with the government. He said the government has already identified some exclusive tourism zones (ETZ) in the country where private investment is badly needed for their development. “At this moment, the government won’t be able to provide the required amount of money for the development of those zones. We need private investment in a bigger way under the public-private partnership (PPP),” Menon said admitting government’s recourse constraint. Bangladesh needs to proceed with a regional approach to ensure greater benefits from the tourism sector, the minister said while addressing a pre-budget discussion on Civil Aviation and Tourism at Dhaka Reporter Unity (DRU). Aviation and Tourism Journalists’ Forum of Bangladesh (ATJFB) and Tour Operators Association of Bangladesh (TOAB) arranged the discussion in cooperation with Association of Travel Agents of Bangladesh (ATAB), according to UNB.