Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Muhammad Faruk Khan has invited Japan to invest in the tourism industry of Bangladesh for its development.
He sought Japanese investment during a meeting with Japanese Ambassador to Bangladesh Iwama Kiminori at the secretariat in the city on Wednesday.
The minister said Bangladesh ensures the best investment-friendly environment among the South Asian countries. At the same time, Bangladesh is taking various initiatives to attract foreign and domestic tourists.
"Japanese investment can help develop our tourism infrastructure and building new tourist centres will be considered a profitable venture," he added.
The minister also assured the ambassador that the Bangladesh government would extend all cooperation to Japanese investors.
Faruk Khan further said, "The friendship between Japan and Bangladesh has upgraded to a strategic level. Japan is a trusted development partner of Bangladesh. Japan is already working for the development of Bangladesh's aviation sector."
The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is financing the construction of the Third Terminal of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA), he added.
"There is scope for the two countries to work together for strengthening cooperation in Bangladesh's aviation sector as well as the development of the tourism sector."
During the meeting, Iwama Kiminori said, "Japan is happy to become a part of the development of Bangladesh's aviation sector. The experience of working together with Bangladesh on the construction of the Third Terminal is excellent. We hope that full operation of the terminal will begin soon."
He also said, "Japan will sincerely consider if it gets any specific proposal from Bangladesh regarding investment in the tourism sector."
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