'Introduce on-arrival visas to attract tourists'

State Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism Md Mahbub Ali today said his ministry has requested the home ministry to introduce on-arrival visas to attract tourists during the post-Coronavirus period.

"A master plan for the tourism sector is likely to be completed by December 2022," he said at a press conference at the secretariat organised on the eve of World Tourism Day-2021.

This year's theme is "Tourism for Inclusive Growth".

The president and the prime minister have issued separate messages marking the day.

World Tourism Day is celebrated on September 27 every year since 1980 by the United Nations World Tourism Organisation.

The day aims to make the world aware of the social, cultural, political and economic importance of tourism and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the contribution of tourism to the national economy.

"The tourism industry is one of the most affected industries due to Covid-19 and Bangladesh is not out of this global crisis," the state minister said.

"Due to this pandemic, we had to close tourist spots and businesses associated with this industry for a long time.

"At present, the tourist spots in the country have been opened in compliance with the health rules due to the decreasing cases of Covid-19 infection in the country," added Mahbub Ali.

"As domestic tourists start travelling to various tourist spots with interest, businesses associated with the country's tourism industry are slowly turning around, and the country's tourism industry is gaining momentum," he said.

"The celebration of this year's World Tourism Day, therefore, is a special opportunity to present tourism to domestic and foreign tourists and inform them about it," the state minister added.