Tourism conference kicks off Saturday

An International conference on tourism and hospitality will begin in Dhaka on Saturday to discuss the global tourism trends and develop a plan for the sector for sustainable development of the country.
The day-long conference will be co-organised by the Institute of Hotel Management and Hospitality (IHMH) and Trinity Communications, at The Westin Dhaka hotel.
A number of experts from India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh will present four keynote papers on tourism and hospitality, the organisers said yesterday at a press meet at the National Press Club in the capital.
A panel discussion on job placement, industry attachment, apprentice and human resource development will be organised on the sidelines of the event.
The purpose of the conference is to provide a unique forum for attendees from academia, industry, government and other stakeholders to actively exchange ideas and recommendations for the country's sustainable tourism development, said Rubina H Farouq, director of the IHMH.
Tourism has been considered as the world's largest and rapidly growing industry of the modern business world, said Md Mushfiqur Rahman, chief executive officer of Trinity Communications.
“It is one of the main roots of developing a country's economy,” said Rahman.
In Bangladesh, the hospitality and tourism industry is recognised as a thrust sector, he added.
The tourism sector was once considered as a medium of entertainment only, but it has now been recognised as one of the key businesses in the world, said AKM Bari, chairman of Industry Skills Council for Tourism and Hospitality Sector.
He said the tourism sector accounted for 9.3 percent of the total global gross domestic product last year.
Bari said Bangladesh has tremendous potential for tourism industry as the country has many tourist spots such as the longest sea beach, mangrove forest and different archaeological sites.
He said Bangladesh can accommodate up to three million tourists every year.
The conference is supported by Bangladesh Tourism Board, Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation, Industry Skills Council for Tourism and Hospitality Sector, The Westin Dhaka, The Daily Star and the International Labour Organisation, Dhaka.