Tourism: Potential remains untapped
Beyond the popular ones, many new but potential tourist spots across the country remain unexplored mainly for lack of a proper plan for the development and promotion of the tourism sector, said experts.
Many new tourist spots are emerging in hills, less-known beach and forest areas and other places because of social media, but these spots remain unexplored by local and foreign tourists, they observed.
Besides, the tourism sector experts said, the government does not have proper tourist guidelines and catalogues containing division-wise exploration-worthy places.
Though the government puts emphasis on the sector, no national tourism master plan could be developed yet and the authorities concerned cannot work coherently to improve the new attractions having immense potential.
“In Bangladesh, local tourists account for 98 percent and the key achievement in the sector comes mostly from various tourist groups,” said Taufiq Rahman, director of Tour Operators Association of Bangladesh (TOAB).
He said domestic tourist groups, mainly youths and adventure-loving people, are getting more attracted to new places rather than the traditional tourist zones like Cox's Bazar, Sundarbans and Sylhet tea estates.
“However, these new places are not properly identified, developed and promoted by the government,” Taufiq stressed.
The TOAB director also said, “The government is supposed to provide necessary logistical support like improving connectivity, and ensuring food, residential and other facilities for the tourists but unfortunately no mentionable initiative has come from it.”
Mentioning the names of some tourist spots like Ratargul and Bichhnakandi of Sylhet, Thanchi, Paddamukh, Amiakhum, Nafakhum and Remakri of Bandarbans and some other places which have become popular recently, he said the government should develop and promote those to attract more tourists.
He also emphasised on coordination among the ministries concerned and government's positive mentality to work with the private sector for better development of the sector.
Many private tourist agencies and social media groups are working both for making domestic tourism vibrant and popularising the uncommon and new places, tourist experts observed.
the government has very few visible activities and planning regarding the new places and young domestic tourists, they said.
Talking to the news agency, Kazi Wahidul Alam, editor of tourist magazine Bangladesh Monitor, said the government has no master plan for the development of the sector and no tourist guidelines have been developed yet. Also, there are no concrete plan and target to encourage tourists.
He termed the sector a “neglected one”.
Bangladesh Tourism Board (BTB) and the Civil Aviation and Tourism Ministry can work jointly to identify new tourist spots, develop and promote those with logistical support, which will attract domestic and overseas tourists as well as enrich the sector, Wahid said.
M Jahangir Hossain, chief executive officer of BTB, said the government has formed the board to make the sector economically vibrant and they are also working to that end.
He said the government sincerely wants to provide all necessary support to help the sector and gradually they are trying to develop the tourism industry.
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