The much-anticipated Dhaka International Trade Fair (DITF) 2023 kicked off on Monday, but visitor presence at the venue is sparse.
Organised at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Exhibition Center at Purbachal in Dhaka, a large number of stalls and pavilions are yet to complete their preparations and be ready for visitors on the first day of this month-long event.
Only a few pavilions and stalls at the fair had products up for display and sales. As it is the opening day, the largest annual commercial and trade event in the country opened for visitors at 3pm.
However, from Monday, the fair will open at 10am every day and close at 9pm. On weekends and government holidays, it will be open till 10pm.
The number of visitors roaming the fair was few and far between in the afternoon, and they claimed to have travelled both from inside and outside Dhaka city.
Speaking to The Business Post during the noon, Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) Vice Chairman AHM Ahsan said, “The BRTC special bus service will start for visitors soon.
“From Monday, the DITF will open for visitors at 10am and the bus service should start at least one hour beforehand.”
However, till the filing of this report at 4pm on Sunday, The Business Post did not find any such buses near the designated stop at the DITF venue.
Abu Raihan, a resident of the Nakhalpara area of Dhaka, said, “As I was unable to find a BRTC special bus bound for the DITF, I took a Narsingdi-bound bus to reach the venue instead.
“I had to switch buses a couple of times to get to the fair, and it cost me Tk 60. Since the fair does not look complete yet, I will come back another day.”
