Minister: Plans to develop international standard tourism facilities in 3 dists

Finance Minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali has said that the government has taken plans to develop international standard tourism facilities in Rangpur, Chandpur, and Cox's Bazar.

“We are implementing a 25-year Tourism Master Plan to contribute to the economic development of Bangladesh through tourism,” said the minister while presenting the proposed budget for the 2024-2025 fiscal year amounting to Tk797,000 crore (Tk7.97 trillion) in parliament on Thursday.

“The master plan will serve as a comprehensive roadmap to revitalize Bangladesh's tourism sector. If implemented, the contribution of the tourism sector to the national economy will be $4.77 billion by 2041. Thanks to the socio-economic progress of the country, there is a growing domestic demand for tourism apart from the interest of foreign tourists. Therefore, special emphasis has been given on the development 78 of eco-tourism, heritage tourism and business tourism in the country,” said the minister.

“For the development of all these tourism sites, we have adopted plans to construct tourist facilities at Tanguar Haor, Nijhum Island, Sharankhola in the Sundarbans, Sompur Mahavihar in Paharpur and tourism complex at Mawa-end of the Padma Bridge,” said the minister.

Meanwhile, Destination Management Organizations (DMO) has been set up in all these areas to attract tourists, said Mahmood Ali.

“Moreover, with the aim of developing a sustainable tourism industry, we have taken initiatives to provide advanced training along with registration of all tour operators and tour guides involved in the industry. In addition, to enrich the tourism sector, tourist centres are being constructed at Parki in Chittagong, Hatia and Nijhum islands in Noakhali and Mahananda in Chapainawabganj district.”