Tourism in Bangladesh
Photo: Mohammad Islam / Driknews
On an educational tour of western USA, along with a group of about 50 tourists from England, Australia, and Cyprus, I have just passed through Las Vegas, which is a hot desert city with no natural scenic beauty. But more than 30 million people visit the place every year. It really has only one main street about six miles long, with big hotels having gambling facilities on both sides of the road, shopping malls, eateries and other attractions. Many of these hotels and their surroundings are reproductions of other famous sites of the world, for instance, Luxor which has a pyramid and the Sphinx, New York with Times Square, Paris with Eiffel Tower, Italian Venice with gondolas, Imperial Rome with Caesar's Palace, etc.
What chance has Bangladesh to develop its tourism industry? This is a tough nut to crack. Sincere efforts by individuals and the government are being made to improve this sector. Unrestricted power supply, reliable broadband, comfortable hotels and roads and eating places, easy availability of air conditioned vehicles, etc., will go a long way for entrepreneurs to entice tourists from abroad during the winter. Every visitor centre should also have maps, guidebooks and helpful websites to help individual tourists.
A mock Tajmahal has already been made. Perhaps other mock landmarks of the world can also be made to attract visitors.
Comments