Home ›› Economy ›› Budget FY24
In the upcoming FY2023-24, the government plans to allocate Tk 6,597 crore for the Civil Aviation and Tourism Ministry, which is Tk 407 crore less than the amount — Tk 7,004 crore — allocated in outgoing FY2022-23.
Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal unveiled the proposal when he presented the proposed national budget of Tk 7,61,785 crore for FY24 in parliament on Thursday.
In the budget speech, he said ’Tourism Master Plan’ spanning 25 years is being formulated for the promotion and expansion of the tourism industry. It is worth mentioning that tourism has been identified as a significant industry in the National Industrial Policy, 2022.
“Consistent with the country's economic and social progress and increasing demand of domestic and foreign tourists, we are working towards making the tourism industry more eco-friendly, safe, and sustainable.”
Steps have been taken to prevent unplanned construction of hotels and motels in tourist centres such as Cox's Bazar and Saint Martin, limit the number of tourists within the capacities of the tourist centres and preserve biodiversity by engaging local communities, businessmen, and other stakeholders, Kamal said.
“With the aim of developing the tourism sector of the country, we are building three tourist parks namely, Sabrang Tourism Park, Naf Tourism Park, and Sonadia Eco-Tourism Park to international standard in terms of accommodation and entertainment facility in the district of Cox’s Bazar,” he added.
About fleet expansion and airport development, the finance minister said, “We have made significant strides in expanding our air fleet and undertaking airport development projects aimed at modernising and upgrading our air transport system and related services to meet the global standards. Currently, construction of the third terminal building of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport is underway, an area of 2,30,000 square metres.”
Additionally, construction of the export-import cargo complex encompassing a total area of 63,000 square metres is scheduled to be completed by April 2024. The opening of third terminal is expected to take place in October 2023. To facilitate the storage and handling of export goods, an Export Cargo Complex with a total area of 44,944 square feet has been constructed at Sylhet Osmani International Airport, he said.
He continued, “We are also working on upgrading Cox's Bazar Airport to an international airport. In addition to expanding and developing airports, we are also focusing on increasing the number of international flights and new destinations.
