"Tourism in Bangladesh won't succeed until people change mindset"

Top officials of the government at a workshop today said the government couldn't provide proper policy support to encash the huge prospect of the country's tourism sector.

They also said there are many limitations and bureaucratic tangle in tourism sector due to which Bangladesh is not becoming successful in this sector like other countries.

Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism organised the workshop titled "Role of tourism in the country's blue economy" at the Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation at city's Agargaon on May 29, 2022.

"The government couldn't provide policy support for flourishing the country's tourism industry," said Rear Admiral (retd) Khurshed Alam, secretary to the maritime affairs unit of foreign ministry, while presenting his keynote paper.

Citing bureaucratic tangle in tourism sector, he said, 17 permissions from different ministries and departments of the government were needed to get approval for a cruise ship to travel to Bangladesh from Sri Lanka in 2017.

Khurshed Alam also said not a single cruise ship came to visit Bangladesh since 2017, after that incident.

Mahbub Hossain, senior secretary, power, energy and mineral resources ministry raised a question in his speech, asking whether Bangladesh was a tourism-friendly nation.

Mokammel Hossain, secretary to civil aviation ministry, said there are various limitations in the tourism sector, because of which we are not getting any success in this sector like other countries.

State Minister for Civil Aviation M Mahbub Ali said tourism sector in Bangladesh will not be successful until people of the country change their mindset.

"If awareness is not raised among the people of the country, tourism will not get any success," he added.