Desk Report:
Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Afroza Khanam, MP, has emphasized the development of eco-tourism and strengthening coordination between the public and private sectors to establish Bangladesh as an international standard tourism destination and tourism hub.
She made these remarks as the chief guest at a seminar titled ‘Public-Private Sector Partnership and Awareness Raising in Promoting Eco-Tourism’ organized by the Bangladesh Tourism Board at the Tourism Building in Agargaon on Wednesday (August 12) morning.
Minister Afroza Khanam said that despite 55 years of independence, there are relatively few examples of development in the country’s tourism sector. The current government is working to establish Bangladesh as a tourism hub as promised in its election manifesto. Several initiatives have been taken to develop the tourism sector within just five months of assuming office.
He said that the journey of establishing Bangladesh as a tourism hub will not be easy. To achieve this goal, cooperation of all stakeholders related to the tourism sector is required. He also said that he will take the initiative to hold meetings with private stakeholders every month to bridge the gap in information between the government and private sectors.
The minister further said that in order to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), there is a plan to develop potential villages including Mitingachhari in Kaptai upazila of Rangamati, Pankhali in Dakop upazila of Khulna and Nafanagar in Bochaganj upazila of Dinajpur as tourism spots, including the ‘SDG Village’ inaugurated by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.
He expressed his determination to establish Bangladesh as an international standard tourism destination by identifying potential tourism places in 64 districts of the country and developing them in a planned manner.
Civil Aviation and Tourism Secretary Fahmida Akhtar, ndc, was present as the guest of honor at the seminar. He said that the work of formulating a Tourism Satellite Account (TSA) has already started to address the information gap in the development of the tourism sector. In addition, the work of formulating an eco-tourism policy is also progressing.
Fahmida Akhtar said that in the past, the tourism sector did not make the desired progress due to lack of coordination. If the cooperation of public and private sector stakeholders is received, it will be possible to further advance the tourism sector by eliminating this lack of coordination.
Bangladesh Tourism Corporation Chairman Md. Samimuzzaman was present as a special guest at the seminar. Bangladesh Tourism Board Chief Executive Officer (Additional Responsibilities) Md. Abdur Rouf, ndc presided over the program.
The importance of eco-tourism in Bangladesh, current status, prospects, development challenges, action plans and things to do were discussed in detail at the seminar. The main article was presented by Dr. Md. Wasiul Islam, Professor of the Department of Forestry and Wood Technology, Khulna University.
Representatives of various government and private organizations in the tourism sector, relevant experts, entrepreneurs, and stakeholders participated in the seminar.
