Home ›› 27 Dec 2022 ›› Back
Despite having enormous potential, the lack of research and proper branding plans are hindering the expected growth of the tourism industry of Bangladesh for decades.
In addition, inadequate infrastructure, poor recreational means, and lack of professionalism are also key challenges to the growth of the tourism sector.
But the Bangladesh Tourism Board (BTB) hopes that the situation is going to change soon through the implementation of Bangladesh’s first-ever tourism master plan being prepared with an aim to develop sustainable tourism.
The BTB thinks that implementation of the 25-year tourism master plan, expected to be finalised by December next, will bring forth a revolutionary change in the country’s tourism industry.
The master plan targets to attract 10 million tourists by 2040 and $8 billion in revenue annually, said BTB officials.
They said implementation of the master plan through building a sustainable tourism industry will not only pave the way to an increased number of inbound and domestic tourists but bring more investment also to the sector.
The BTB officials expected that once implemented, the master plan would be the next growth engine for the economy and help tourism become the third largest foreign currency earning sector of Bangladesh, after apparel and remittance.
At present, the tourism industry’s contribution to GDP is 3.02 per cent, or Tk 76,690.7 crore, and the sector accounts for 8.07 per cent of the total employment of the country, according to the data from Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS).
According to the BBS data, some 29.21 lakh Bangladeshi tourists went abroad during the fiscal year 2018-19 against 16.4 lakh who visited Bangladesh during the time.
Among the 16.4 lakh that toured Bangladesh, 13.5 lakh, or 80.28 per cent, were non-resident Bangladeshis and 2.9 lakh, or 19.72 per cent, were foreigners.
Master plan at final stage
The BTB took the initiative to formulate the master plan sector three years ago. Initially, it was scheduled to be completed within 18 months, but the deadline was extended later.
BTB Deputy Director Mohammad Saiful Hassan said the master plan is now at the final stage and expected to be completed by December next. It is being finalised with the involvement of nearly 30,000 stakeholders.
Officials said the BTB signed an agreement with IPE Global Limited, an international consulting firm, on 10 December 2019 to formulate the master plan. Work officially started on 19 January 2020 and was supposed to be completed in June 2021. But the project suffered a setback at the beginning due to the coronavirus pandemic, which forced many foreign consultants and advisors to leave the country.
What the master plan has
The master plan has short, medium, and long-term goals and is divided into three phases, according to BTB officials.
In the first phase, the current state of the country’s tourism industry has been analysed, evaluating the weaknesses, strengths, and overall potential of tourism spots in all 64 districts of the country.
The second phase includes vision, mission, and strategic directions for the tourism industry and also a roadmap for the implementation of interventions based on short, medium, and long-term targets.
In this phase, strategies for some intervention areas have been devised, targeting the development of products, markets, clusters, human resources, and infrastructure.
In the third phase, regional plans are being prepared to specify zones or areas. The final phase has seven objectives which are a regional and structural plan, niche product development plan, conceptual architectural plan, action plan, finance and investment plan and marketing and promotional strategy.
BTB officials said to determine suitable tourism products; the master plan has explored 11 themes including eco-tourism, riverine, cruise, adventure, beach, archaeological and historical, pilgrimage, ethnic and rural tourism.
