The government has taken an initiative to develop an entertainment and tourism village replacing its old Shaibal Hotel under a public-private partnership model for making the country's Cox's Bazar city more attractive to tourists from home and abroad.
The PPP cell under the Prime Minister's Office will float a tender for the Integrated Entertainment and Tourism Village project on April 10, inviting interested international companies to compete for the US$ 100 million work.
"We are inviting all interested companies to collect the tender document from April 10 as the PPP Cell found the project viable through a feasibility study recently," said the PPP Cell Chief Executive Officer.
He said this first PPP model project is envisaged to be a pioneer in tourism and hospitality growth in Bangladesh.
Officials said the Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation (BPC) initiated efforts to renovate its age-old hotel in the tourism city a few years back with a view to modernising hotel facilities in the present context.
However, the PPP Cell remodeled the BPC's efforts through the PPP model on receiving an unsolicited proposal from a Singaporean company in this regard.
The Cabinet Committee for Economic Affairs approved the project on September 3, 2013.
An official said under PPP model, the project has been redesigned with the target to set up a cultural centre, bridge villages and long-stay villages on top of water, three-star and five-star international hotels on 20 acres of land.
 He said the private investor will design, operate, maintain and finance the project for 30-year 'concessional' period.
The PPP model will enable private sector participation in the tourism industry, while bringing in best-in-class technical, design, financing, construction and operations and maintenance capabilities, the official added.
"Bidding parameter of this PPP project will be how much benefits the companies will give to the government," said the official.
Cox's Bazar with its longest natural beach in the world is the country's prime tourist spot attracting millions of visitors every year.
Though a number of hotel and motels were built in the longest sea beach city in response to the increasing demand from tourists, hardly any of these hotels is 5 star of international standard.
The Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation (BPC), the implementation agency for this project, owns a-100 acre beach-facing land in Cox's Bazar and currently operates a 24-bed Hotel Shaibal.
   smunima@yahoo.com
Tourism village in Cox\\\'s Bazar under PPP model under way
Munima Sultana | Published: April 09, 2015 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2024 06:01:00
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