She made the call after inaugurating Radisson Water Garden Hotel, a five-star hotel, on the Airport Road near the city's Cantonment Railway Station.

The PM said Radisson Water Garden is a new entry to the list of five-star hotels in Bangladesh and she believed this hotel would play an important role to increase the number of foreign guests visiting Dhaka.

She also believed this hotel would make significant contribution in flourishing the country's tourism sector and attracting local and foreign entrepreneurs and investors.

The hotel will open to the public from February 11. The eight-storied hotel with 206 rooms, including five suites, occupies more than seven acres of land. The hotel is owned by Sena Hotel Development Limited (SHDL) and managed by Carlson Hotels Asia Pacific.

SHDL was formed in 1995 by the joint-venture partners Bangladesh Army Welfare Trust and UK-based Associated Building Design Limited to build and operate hotels and other businesses in Bangladesh.

In 2000, the company was made a fully Bangladesh Enterprise of Army Welfare Trust (AWT) and Sena Kalyan Sangstha (SKS) with 80 percent and 20 percent shares respectively, according to the Radisson Hotel brochure.

The hotel offers 30,000-square-foot function space, including Grand Ballroom, which is the city's largest ballroom measuring 9,900 square feet that can accommodate more than 1,180 guests in theatre style.

Chief of Army Staff Lt Gen Moeen U Ahmed, who is chairman of the board of directors of SHDL, Paul Kirwin, president, Carlson Hotels Asia Pacific, and Army Adjutant General Maj Gen Md Matiur Rahman, vice-chairman of the board of directors of SHDL, also spoke at the inaugural function.

Ministers, diplomats, Chiefs of Navy and Air Force, civil and military high officials and distinguished personalities attended the inaugural function.

Addressing the function, the Prime Minister expressed her happiness knowing that small contributions made by the members of Bangladesh Army from the money earned through participation in UN Peacekeeping Missions have been pooled together by Sena Kalyan Trust for building this imposing five-star hotel.

The effort was supplemented through partial financing by the Sena Kalyan Sangstha as well as a few welfare-oriented projects.

Khaleda observed this noble endeavour on part of the members of Bangladesh Army would remain as a worthy example for emulation by others.

"These initiatives are undoubtedly laudable that the funds generated from this hotel would be spent on welfare of the families of martyred, deceased, disabled and distressed army members, especially those who have retired, as well as assistance will be provided for their treatment and for the education of their children."