DHAKA, April 3, 2019 (BSS) – Tourism stakeholders at a workshop today proposed a ‘one stop service’ for facilitating leisure providers from a single window as lack of coordination among relevant ministries has been identified as a major obstacle to the development of the country’s tourism for long.
They also recommended including touristic potentials in every development endeavors of the country to build a tourism-friendly society.
Bangladesh Tourism Board (BTB) organised the workshop titled “Tourism in development planning” participated by all representations of relevant ministries, tour operators, airlines, hoteliers and journalists at CIRDAP auditorium here.
While inaugurating the workshop as the chief guest Civil Aviation and Tourism Secretary M Mohibul Haque laid emphasis on taking a coordinated holistic initiative to exploit untapped huge potentials of the country’s tourism sector.
“We are working with all tourism related stakeholders and ministries to portrait our exciting tourism spots in front of both the local and international tourists,” he said.
The secretary said the government has already prepared a master plan targeting the country’s most potential tourist spot the Sundarbands, single largest mangrove forest in the world.
He said an exclusive tourist area will be built near the Sundarbans soon. “We will do it in collaboration with all private stakeholders of the tourism industry,” he added.
Haque said the government is developing an exclusive tourist zone for the foreigners with all kinds of international standard amusements at estuary of the Bakkhali river in Cox’s Bazar.
Besides, the government declared both sides of the marine drive from Cox’s Bazar to Teknaf as exclusive tourist area. The government will facilitate the private tourism service providers to utilize those exclusive areas for under a particular planning, he added.
The secretary also said the government will build tourism facilities at all religious, historic, cultural and archeological sites in the country.
He also put emphasis on taking a holistic plan for promoting Bangladesh tourism products in home and abroad.
BTB CEO Bhuban Chandra Biswash presented the keynote paper while additional secretary of civil aviation and tourism ministry was in the chair.
Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation (BPC) Chairman Akhtaruzaman Khan Kabir and just past BTB CEO Md Nasir Uddin also spoke on the occasion.