A boost for battered tourism
3-day int’l tourism fair starts Thursday, participated by 50 orgs from home, abroad
With things slowly getting back to normal, airlines, tourism and hospitality sectors are expected to turn around this year, following immense loss due to the pandemic.
To kick-start that change, the 17th edition of Dhaka Travel Mart will begin on Thursday.
The three-day international tourism fair will take place at Pan Pacific Sonargaon Dhaka.
Kazi Wahidul Alam, editor of travel and tourism publication The Bangladesh Monitor, shared the information at a press conference at a city hotel yesterday.
A total of about 50 organisations -- representing airlines, tour operators, hotels, resorts, travel agencies, healthcare providers -- from home and abroad are taking part in the fair, said Wahidul.
With a view to accelerate the recovery of the travel and tourism sector, The Bangladesh Monitor will organise the fair.
The adverse effects of Covid-19 were profound in Bangladesh's hospitality and tourism sector, as it lost about Tk 60,000 crore in gross value added during the pandemic, according to a survey by Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies, which was revealed in early April.
The study mentioned that 1.1 lakh people lost their jobs amid the pandemic.
The research organisation estimates that the sector could have contributed about Tk 1,50,000 crore in terms of gross value added in absence of the pandemic, but it was ultimately reduced to around Tk 95,000 crore.
The transport sub-sector endured more than 40 percent of losses, while hotels and resorts faced about 29 percent. Meanwhile, restaurants bore 25 percent of losses in gross value added, while other related businesses endured the rest.
According to the survey, the average reduction in wages and salaries was quite substantial among hotels and resorts (34 percent), tour operators (34 percent), and travel agents (26 percent).
The fair will remain open for visitors from 10:00am to 8:00pm every day. Entry fee will be Tk 40 per person.
Participating organisations will present attractive special offers and discounts, including free hotel accommodation.
Leaders of Tour Operator Association of Bangladesh (Toab) said towards the end of 2020, the tourism industry tried to recover from losses, but the slump caused by the second and third wave of the pandemic forced many tour operators to leave the business.
Rafeuzzaman -- president of Toab, which encompasses 700 tour operators, travel agencies, hotels, motels, resorts, airlines, and transport companies -- told The Daily Star that 40 lakh people are currently employed in the tourism sector.