10 cultural tourism sites in pipeline, near Sundarbans

At least 10 cultural tourism sites will be established in the neighbouring villages of the Sundarbans mangrove forest—in Khulna and Satkhira—to promote ecotourism.
The information was revealed at a two-day training workshop on the prospects of cultural ecotourism in the Sundarbans region yesterday.
The workshop was organised as part of a project—Promotion of local culture in the Sundarbans impact zone in Bangladesh through cultural ecotourism and entrepreneurship—funded by the European Union and implemented by Relief International-UK.
The two-year project will be implemented in Khulna and Satkhira between 2014 and 2016, Relief International-UK said in a statement.
The project is aimed at enhancing respects for local culture and ecology in the Sundarbans impact zone in Bangladesh.
Relief International-UK will work with local communities to popularise cultural sites and develop the culture of ecotourism to promote the ecological and cultural significance of the Sundarbans through this project, said Nazrul Islam, country director of Relief International-UK.
Each ecotourism site will comprise several existing houses and facilities owned by traditional resource users, which will be prepared to offer various services for tourists, he said.
The services will include eco-tours into the mangrove forest facilitated by eco tour guides, he said.
“The project is aimed at giving tourists the most authentic exposure to local culture, alongside enhancing their respect for the cultural and ecological significance of the Sundarbans.”
Furthermore, the project will develop a pool of eco-tour guides. The capacity building of local cultural actors, such as theatre actors and musicians, will also take place, he said.
The project will train the guides to enrich their knowledge about the Sundarbans and prospects of their cultural endeavours in the tourism industry, Islam said.
Local ecotourism actors will be connected with tour operators who are based mainly in large cities such as Dhaka, Chittagong, Rajshahi and Khulna.