Tourism can be part of collective efforts to cut global poverty, says Shahabuddin Ahmad, advisor to PATA, a multinational non-profit tourist organisation, of which Bangladesh is a member.

Over the last 50 years, tourism has emerged as a force having economic, social and political impact because of its cross-border nature.

The number of tourists travelled beyond their countries has increased from 25 million in 1950 to 644 million in 2000.

The economic importance of tourism has proved so high that it is rated one of the five top export categories in 83 countries and main source of foreign exchange earnings in 38 countries.

America recorded a 27.27 per cent growth of arrivals before September 11, 2001 whereas Europe recorded the fastest growth with a substantial increase in arrivals by 9.01 per cent.

According to the 2001 Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation report, India among South Asian countries contributes the highest number of tourists, which is 37.69 per cent of the arrivals in Bangladesh.

Europe accounted for 24.22 per cent of the tourist arrivals in Bangladesh, with the UK having 67.92 per cent of the European share.

Europe and South Asia together accounted for 69.77 per cent of the tourist arrivals in Bangladesh.

The remaining 30.23 per cent were contributed by the US with 9.28 per cent, the Middle East with 1.84 per cent, East Asia and the Pacific together with 18.31 per cent, Africa with 0.75 per cent and other regions with 0.05 per cent.

International airports continue to be the main ports of entry with 76.46 per cent arrivals in 2001, up from 76.06 per cent in 2000, and the rest 23.54 per cent in 2001 used the land ports, down from 23.94 per cent in 2000.

People travelling to Bangladesh mainly for tourism account for 18.56 per cent and 16.47 per cent for business.

Last year, the world summit on sustainable development in Johannesburg, Africa, resolved that tourism should play an active role in reducing the global poverty 50 per cent by 2015.

It is in line with that resolution that the World Tourism Organisation has adopted the slogan "Tourism -- a driving force for poverty alleviation, job creation and social harmony" as the theme of World Tourism Day on September 27, 2003.