Bangladesh unattractive for tourists

In the recently released 2017 Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report by the World Economic Forum (WEF) Bangladesh ranked 125th out of 136 countries and was "the least attractive destination in South Asia for foreign tourists". Bangladesh's overall score was 2.9 out of 7, the same as in the previous report, and the country ranked 127th out of 141 countries in 2015.

These numbers do not look good for the tourism industry. The two main reasons behind the disappointing ranking were political instability and security – the latter becoming a major concern after the deadliest terrorist attack in Gulshan last year.

There is no one solution to jump-start the tourism sector in Bangladesh because the reasons behind the wasted potential of this sector are varied and complex. There is a lack of basic infrastructure – decent accommodation and recreational facilities, reliable public transport and well-equipped hospitals – and community support. It is also quite unfortunate that there is little to no effort to preserve our cultural heritage sites. Furthermore, there are no long-term plans to support the tourism sector which accounts for around two percent of our GDP.

For developing countries like Bangladesh, the tourism sector could prove to be a gold mine for economic development. If we are to let it flourish, the right policies must be set in place, and the only way to do that is to understand the value of tourism and develop the infrastructure and other basic needs.