Not a paradise for backpackers
City Correspondent
What happens to a backpacker when he arrives in Bangladesh? In most cases, as a foreigner coming from Europe, America or some Asian country, he (or she) is shown an expensive hotel to get through the night. In Bangladesh there are hardly any decent hotels within the range of these not-so-well-off tourists. Backpackers, forming a great number of the global tourism industry, are either forced to rent a cockroach infested hotel room for a very cheap rate or go for a top hotel, which he often finds hard to afford. In the districts outside Dhaka, the visitor however does not have any choice but to rent whatever is available. In some of the district headquarters, tourists might find some decent accommodation but in many other cases hotel rooms are dirty and unhygienic. In rural areas a backpacker would probably feel a lot safer with his accommodation. He would definitely find it difficult to fence off offers from the hospitable villagers. He just has to be careful to choose which one to accept. Here, the home of the village chairman or a member of the Union Parishad could be safe and comfortable. One of the main ingredients to attract tourists is accommodation. Backpackers arriving in Bangladesh are usually experienced ones, who arrive here with precise guidelines. Bangladesh has not been able to attract thousands of first-time visitors to Southeast Asia. It is due to lack of a whole range of items, including good, cheap accommodation, western backpackers look for.
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