Journal of Bangladesh Institute of Planners ISSN 2075-9363

Vol. 3, December 2010, pp. 65-75, Bangladesh Institute of Planners

An Overview of Present Status and Future Prospects of the
Tourism Sector in Bangladesh
Md. Lutfur Rahman
*

S. M. Nawshad Hossain
**

Sania Sifat Miti
***

Dr. A K M Abul Kalam
****

Abstract
Bangladesh is bestowed with beautiful coasts and beaches, archeological sites, historical
and religious places, hills and islands, forests and jungles and attractive countryside with
innumerable water bodies and green fields of agriculture. These rich natural and cultural
attractions are valuable ingredients for tourism development in Bangladesh. Every year, a
large number of tourists visit these attractive places, which has a significant contribution
in the national economy. However, tourism industry in Bangladesh is faced with many
problems, such as lack of good transportation and communication system, lack of well
planned accommodation, food, entertainment and other services to satisfy diverse
categories of tourists. The issue of safety and security of the tourists of both domestic and
foreign origins is also very important for the development of tourism in Bangladesh.
Though a policy has been adopted in the recent time for ensuring sustainable
development of this sector, the strategies adopted under the policy are not yet being
seriously taken up for implementation. Besides, the country requires a strong physical
planning strategy to develop its urban and rural areas, and national transportation and
communication system to establish connectivity to the tourism spots. There should be a
strong marketing policy as well for the promotion of tourism in the country. Thus if
necessary policies, strategies and actions are taken by the national government, tourism
may become a potential economic sector.

Introduction
Tourism is a leisure activity which involves a discretional use of time and money and
recreation is often the main purpose for participation in tourism (Ghosh, 2001). Tourism
is emerged from the movement of people to and their stay in various destinations. There
are two basic elements in tourism, such as the journey to the destination and the stay. In
short, tourism means the business of providing information, transportation,
accommodation and other services to travelers (Ghosh, 2001). Tourism may be broadly

*
Lecturer, Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Jahangirnagar University, Savar,
Dhaka-1342. Email: [email protected]
**
Lecturer, Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Jahangirnagar University, Savar,
Dhaka-1342. Email: [email protected], [email protected]
***
Lecturer, Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Jahangirnagar University, Savar,
Dhaka-1342. Email: [email protected]
****
Professor, Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Jahangirnagar University, Savar,
Dhaka-1342. Email: [email protected]
66 Journal of Bangladesh Institute of Planners, Vol. 3, December 2010

divided into domestic tourism and international tourism. In domestic tourism, people
move within their own country whereas in international tourism, the barriers exist in
travelling destinations beyond national boundaries ((Zulfikar, 1998). In tourism, tourist
acts as the key player in this system. The term tourist is defined as who goes on holiday
to visit places away from his home. Foreign tourist is a person who visits a place and
stays at least 24 hours on a foreign passport for the purposes of leisure, business, meeting
and so on. On the other hand, domestic tourist is a person who travels within the country
to a place other than his place of residence and stays at hotel or rented place and uses the
sightseeing facilities for duration of not less than 24 hours or one night and not more
than 6 months (Zulfikar, 1998).
Traveler is the person who goes from one place to another for satisfying his own needs
and wants (Zulfikar, 1998). The interest of traveling varies in different ages of people due
to health, energy and as well as their socio-economic background. The younger people
are more interested to travel than the elderly ones. People like to travel for different
purposes i.e. recreation, business, religious, cultural, sports and as well as to attend
workshops, seminars and conferences. As a result, the tourism industry has to satisfy the
needs of all categories of tourists depending on the nature of market segmentation.
Traveling helps to breakdown the monotony of life and reinvigorates ones energy to
start afresh with work. Although there is an enormous opportunity to flourish tourism in
Bangladesh, it is only recently that the potential of the sector has been recognized. There
are many places of attractions for tourists in the country, which can be developed with
good communication facilities for visitors. But often it is seen that these places are
suffering from various problems, such as poor communication and transportation
system, lack of good quality accommodation facilities, lack of safety and security, and
above all lack of tourism attractions and services. It is very important to preserve the
natural quality of places and develop necessary attractions with required infrastructure
for travelers of diverse origins and background.
Bangladesh has an attractive natural environment and many historical-cultural places,
which can be potentially utilized for the development of tourism. The country is
bestowed with beautiful coasts and beaches, archeological sites, historical and religious
places, hills and islands, forests and jungles and attractive countryside with innumerable
water bodies and green fields of agriculture. These rich natural and cultural attractions
are valuable ingredients to promote tourism in the country.
Objectives and Methodology
The main objective of this paper is to make an overview of the potential of tourism
development in Bangladesh. It tries to identify the sectors present problems and analyze
the future prospects of tourism in the countrys economic development. The research is
mainly based on conceptual ideas, secondary information and empirical field
observation. The secondary information is collected through a survey of literature and
relevant Internet based websites.

An Overview of Present Status and Future Prospects of the Tourism Sector in Bangladesh 67
Overview of the Contribution of Tourism Industry
Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation (BPC) under the Ministry of Civil Aviation and
Tourism plays an important role for the development of tourism in Bangladesh.
Historically, Bangladesh has been an attractive destination for various categories of
tourists. But at present, its position is not significant in terms of international tourism
market (Islam, 2009). Tourism is one of the fastest growing and single largest industries
in the world. The contribution of tourism industry in the global as well as individual
perspective is really amazing. Many countries of the world at present depend mainly on
tourism as a major source of foreign exchange earning. According to the World Tourist
Organization (WTO), while 448.5 million tourists moved throughout the world during
the year 1991 (Davidson, 1994), about 593 million tourist arrivals were recorded during
1996 registering a 4.6% increase over 1995 (Bhattacharya, 1997) and 32.22 % growth in
five year.
WTO also recorded a total number of 763 million international tourist traffic in 2004,
which is 10.58% higher than previous year and earned US$ 623 billion, which shows an
increase of 18.89% over 2003. Tourism continues to surge as a world economic force,
contributing nearly $5.5 trillion to the worlds economy in 2004 (WTO, 2005). The
increasing trend of tourist arrivals and earnings is continuing. In 2005, the world tourist
arrivals rose to 808 million and it is expected that the volume of tourists will reach 1,561.1
million in 2020. This continued growth in tourism business throughout the world is
encouraging and nations are becoming concerned to attract more tourists to their own
destinations. Today most of the countries in the world are trying to promote tourism
sector as a major source of income and thus important means for national economic
development.
The tourism industry is frequently referenced in Bangladesh as a highly important
stakeholder with the potential to provide extensive benefits to the Protected Reserved
Forests (Hossain and Nazmin, 2006). Economic benefit for tourism is seen as a way to
reduce the level of dependence of local communities on natural resources, such as the
park. In Bangladesh, there is hardly any in-depth research available on the impacts of
tourism on ecosystem and communities. There is also no effective national tourism plan
to guide the entrepreneurs and investors. Besides, there is serious lack of management in
this sector at national, regional and local levels. Bangladesh thus requires adopting a
strong policy, if it wants to utilize the potentials of tourism in national economic
development and societal progress.
Major Tourism Attractions in Bangladesh
Although there are opportunities of developing tourism attractions and facilities across
the country, at present only a handful tourism spots are available for visits by tourists.
These limited facilities are concentrated in some places, like Dhaka, Chittagong and
Sylhet Divisions. In Chittagong Division, the site seeing facilities are mainly located at
Coxs Bazar, Rangamati, Khagrachari and Bandarban districts. Mainamati at Comilla is
an important archaeological site and Lalbagh Fort in Dhaka is a great historic site. In
Sylhet Division, the major tourist attractions are located mainly at Jaflong,
Madhabkunda, Tea gardens and the Shrines of Harzat Shah Jalal and Shah Poran. Some
renowned attractions in Rajshahi Division are Kantajis Temple, Swapnapuri, Ramsagor
and Rajbari at Dinajpur, Paharpur at Noagaon, and Mahasthangarh at Bogra. In Khulna
Division, some attractions are Shatgombuj Mosque at Bagerhat and Sundarban, the
largest mangrove forest in the world, is located in the southern part of Khulna Division
along the Bay of Bengal. This mangrove forest has been declared as a World Heritage site
(www.mocat.gov.bd). There is no denying the fact that Bangladesh has not made enough
68 Journal of Bangladesh Institute of Planners, Vol. 3, December 2010

efforts to preserve and develop its tourism sites of historical, cultural and environmental
interests. Some important tourism attractions are listed in Table 1 and geographical
distribution of some archaeological sites and monuments is shown in Figure 1.
Table 1: Tourist attractions in Bangladesh
Attractions in Dhaka Attractions in Chittagong Attractions in Sylhet
Sonargaon: Cultural Capital of
Bangladesh
Port City of Chittagong

Jaintiapur Town (The Capital
of an Ancient Kingdom)
Bangladesh Institute of Arts and
Crafts
Himchari, Moheskhali, Inani Beach
at Coxs Bazar
Gour Gobinda Fort

Central Shahid Minar : The
Symbol of Bengal
Khagrachari

Shahi Edgah of Sylhet
The Dhaka Zoo

Chandraghona (Biggest Paper Mills
in Asia)
Temple of Sri Chaitanya Dev
The Suhrawardy Uddyan Kaptai Lake, Buddish Temple at
Rangamati
Tea Gardens of Srimongal

National Art Gallery of
Bangladesh

Sitakunda The Border Post of Tamabil-
Jaflong

Chota Katra

Patenga and Fouzdarhat Beaches Madhabkunda

Bara Katra

Mercantile Marine Academy at
Juldia
Hairpur Gas Field

Mausoleum of National Leaders Foy's Lake

The Shrine of Hazrat Shah Jalal
Ahsan Manzil Museum Shrine of Shah Amanat

The Shrine of Hazrat Shah
Poran
National Museum Tomb of Sultan Bayazid Bostami

Lawachara, Madhabpur Lake,
Bangladesh Tea Board at
Srimongal
Science Museum Cox's Bazar (The Longest Sea-
Beach), Saint Martin
Tangore haor, at Sunamgonj
Mukti Juddha Museum

Court Building Museum

Hakaluki haor at
Moulovibazar
Bangabandhu Memorial Museum The Shrine of Shah Amanat

--
Bahadur Shah Park Chimbuk, Bandarban --
National Memorial of Dhaka Sailopropat, Meghla and Nilghiri at
Bandarban
--
The Lalbagh Fort

Boga Lake, Ruma, Bijoy, Sorno
Mondir, Kaokaradong at Bandarban
--
Source: www.travelspedia.com, 2010
An Overview of Present Status and Future Prospects of the Tourism Sector in Bangladesh 69
Figure 1 shows the distribution of tourism attractions in different areas across
Bangladesh. Beside this, there are many other places of attractions, which are not yet
explored or considered for tourism development. It explains the fact that tourism
facilities can be developed in most parts of the country. A rigorous policy is, however,
required for uniform development of tourism opportunities based on potentials in
different parts of the country.






















Source: www.mocat.gov.bd/images/b_map_large.jpg, 2010
Fig. 1: Major tourism spots of Bangladesh

Tourist Arrivals in Bangladesh
Beside a large number of domestic tourists, foreign tourists also comprise a good
percentage in the composition of total tourists every year. In 997, the total no. of foreign
70 Journal of Bangladesh Institute of Planners, Vol. 3, December 2010

tourist was 1, 82,420 which is increased in the upcoming years. The number of tourists in
2003 was 2, 44,509 which is 2.92% higher than the previous year. In 2004 and 2005, about
12.75% tourist visited Bangladesh. The number of tourist arrivals in Bangladesh has
decreased in 2006 which was 9.41% of the total tourists. The year-wise number of
tourists arrived in Bangladesh from 1997 to 2006 are given in Table 2.

Table 2: Arrival of foreign tourists in Bangladesh
Year No. of tourist arrival in Bangladesh Percentage
1997 182420 8.57
1998 171961 8.08
1999 172781 8.12
2000 199211 9.36
2001 207199 9.74
2002 207246 9.74
2003 244509 11.49
2004 271270 12.75
2005 271270 12.75
2006 200311 9.41
Total 2128178 100.00
Source: www.mocat.gov.bd/tourism_statistics.php, 2010
Table 2 and Figure 2 show that the number of tourists visited Bangladesh significantly
varies for different years. The number of foreign tourists increased almost continuously
up to the year of 2005. The percentage of tourist arrivals in the country is decreased
particularly in 2006. The current status of the volume of tourists can not be ascertained,
however, due to lack of reliable data for the most recent years after 2006.








Source: www.mocat.gov.bd/tourism_statistics.php, 2010
Fig. 2: Variation of tourist arrivals in Bangladesh in different years
No. of tourist arrival in Bangladesh
0
50000
100000
150000
200000
250000
300000
1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006
Year
N
o
.

o
f

T
o
u
r
i
s
t

An Overview of Present Status and Future Prospects of the Tourism Sector in Bangladesh 71
Annual Profit Earning from Tourism Sector
Tourism is one of the most profitable sectors in Bangladesh. In fiscal year 2000-2001, total
income earning from tourism sector was Tk.3388.26 lakh and total expenditure was
Tk.3187.14 lakh. The annual income, expenditure and profit of this sector for different
years can be observed in Table 3.

Table 3: Annual profit earning from tourism sector
Year

Total Income

Total Expenditure

Taka in lakh (Profit/Loss)

1990-1991 5079.7 4852.92 226.78
1991-1992 4254.31 3970.49 283.82
1992-1993 4673.83 4289.36 384.47
1993-1994 4385.17 4005.01 380.16
1994-1995 4859.37 4378.21 481.16
1995-1996 2455.51 2218.84 236.67
1996-1997 3768.76 3538.49 230.27
1997-1998 4541.87 4304.26 237.61
1998-1999 3776.49 3592.59 183.9
1999-2000 3829 3528.97 300.03
2000-2001 3388.26 3187.14 201.12
Total 45012.27 41866.28 3145.99
Source: www.mocat.gov.bd/tourism_statistics.php, 2010

The information in Table 3 shows that in relative terms, the sector had experienced a
decline in earning profit during the period of 1990-91 and 2000-01. The situation in recent
years can not be observed due to lack of data. Considering the overall situation, it can be
said that the country has not paid enough attention to utilize the economic potential of
tourism. World-wide, tourism is now a major economic sector and Bangladesh has a
huge scope to tap this opportunity for economic gains.

Policy Gap in Tourism Development
Bangladesh has not made any concerted effort in the past in exploiting its tourism
potential. In the recent period, however, there have been some awareness development
campaigns by both public and private sectors on the potential of tourism in the country.
The government has enacted an ordinance in May 2010, which empowers it to declare an
area as a tourism site and control development in designated tourism spots (GoB, 2010).
This may help the relevant authorities in the identification of potential tourism areas in
the country. By promoting appropriate development for tourism and controlling
unwanted development within tourism sites, the government may initially create
tourism friendly environment in all the potential tourism areas of the country. An early
72 Journal of Bangladesh Institute of Planners, Vol. 3, December 2010

identification and declaration of tourism sites may set the momentum for tourism
development in the country. Both investors and consumers would then be gradually
motivated toward utilization of the potential benefits of the sector. With further
enactment of laws and rules of business, development and management of the tourism
sector in the country can be made possible. It must be reminded that tourism
development policy should be guided by sustainable development philosophy in order
preserve tourism opportunities for future generations.

Problems of Tourism Sector in Bangladesh
Infrastructure facilities are not adequate for the tourism sector in Bangladesh.
Infrastructure, such as accommodation facilities are not satisfactory at different tourism
spots in Bangladesh. Some accommodations are highly expensive and are not affordable
by average domestic and international tourists and some are in poor condition.
Transportation linkage to different tourism spots by road, rail, air and water is not
efficient. A master plan of national transportation network is seemingly not in place
supporting the national tourism policy and existing tourism attractions of the country.
The success of tourism sector can not be imagined without an effective policy of
advertisement, marketing and public relations. Bangladesh lacks in skilled manpower
and technical expertise to formulate policy guidelines for advertisement, marketing and
as well as for building public relations. Innovative ideas are necessary to advertise the
tourism spots to people within and outside the country. Webpage of Bangladesh Parjatan
Corporation is not well developed with adequate information, such as photographs of
renowned places, accommodation facilities, modes of transport, distance from the capital
city, etc.
Unplanned development beside the tourism spots affects the physical environment of the
spots. It destroys the natural scenic beauty of the sites. For example, at Coxs bazaar sea
beach and Saint Martin Islands, development of many unplanned commercial
establishments, such as hotel, motel and shopping centers disturbs the tourists and as
well as spoils the environment. Absence of Master Plan with detailed Land Use Plan for
each urban or rural community is a common problem in the country. Tourism
development requires a huge infrastructure development that can not be ensured
without physical plans.
Finally, political vision is a prerequisite for the development of tourism in the country.
Unfortunately, the lack of political will is commonly observed in such efforts. There is
also lack of effective coordination among various organizations, which are directly or
indirectly involved in tourism sector. As a result, the current policy is not adequate for
flourishing this sector in the country successfully. Corruption is a common problem in
public sector organizations and agencies involved in the development of various sector.
Tourism is such a sector that involves multi-sectoral activities, and as a result, corrupt
practices in the system will only deter the progress of this sector.

An Overview of Present Status and Future Prospects of the Tourism Sector in Bangladesh 73
Prospect of Tourism Sector in Bangladesh
Tourism sector has the potential to make a huge contribution in the economy of
Bangladesh. By ensuring proper development of this sector, it is possible to earn a large
amount of foreign currency which will contribute to the growth of national economy. The
sector provides an ample employment opportunity for the people who are directly or
indirectly involved in this sector. It is a service providing sector. The unemployment
problem of the country can be reduced partly by developing necessary infrastructure of
this sector. It will help increase household income at community level and as well as the
revenue of the government. It will also help reduce the economic gap between the rich
and poor people of the country.
Tourism may also strengthen the political unity of the country. The people who come
from developed countries are different in life style, background and income level from a
developing country, like Bangladesh. The people in Bangladesh may get opportunities to
compare their life style with the people of developed countries. They may exchange their
idea and knowledge. Domestic and foreign tourists like to visit historical places,
archeological sites, national monuments and as well as ancient battlefields, which in the
long run may help strengthen the political unity of the country.
It may be possible to introduce Bangladesh to the rest of the world through tourism
sector. It may also be helpful to create better image to foreign nations through proper
management of tourism activities. If the sector can be managed properly and may attract
people from different regions of the country and international sources to visit the
attractions in Bangladesh, it will create goodwill for the country. Tourism can also play
an important role in social and cultural development through cultural exchange and
contact between people of different race and nationalities. This sector has also
educational significance. The people of the country can learn many things by sharing
knowledge with tourists who come from different national and international sources. It
also creates opportunities of networking for investment and business development
purposes.

Recommendations
Management Strategies for Improvement of Tourism Sector
Some management strategies for sustainable development of tourism sector based on its
problems and prospects are given below:
The government has to play a key role for preparation of policy guideline for
planning and development, advertising, regulation and marketing of tourism sector,
because it provides ample employment opportunities to the citizen and earns
foreign currency for the country. It will also help government to solve
unemployment problem and as well as act as source of revenue collection.
The government should be monitoring the activities of travel agencies which are
involved in tour operation. Every travel agency should be enlisted with Tour
Operators Association of Bangladesh (TOAB). Proper initiatives should be taken so
that none of the travel agencies can operate their functions without affiliation of
TOAB.
74 Journal of Bangladesh Institute of Planners, Vol. 3, December 2010

National Tourism Organization should be strengthened with provision of adequate
fund, skilled manpower and as well as technical expertise to run the organization
smoothly. In this regard, National Tourism Policy, 2009 should be implemented as
quickly as possible and necessary support should be given to attract private sector,
such as tax holiday, loan and concessionary rates in taxes and duties and in special
cases, allotment of land.
Strategic Master Plan for tourism, which was prepared by UNDP/WTO in 1990 and
later updated by WTO should be implemented for sustainable tourism
development. Tourism development has many positive and negative impacts on
society, economy, culture and as well as on environment. Sustainable development
should be achieved by balancing the needs of tourists at present and in future.
Necessary initiatives should be taken to increase cooperation between public and
private sectors to provide services for the travelers. In the long term, it will be
beneficial not only for people who travel, but also for people in the communities
they visit, and for their respective natural, social and cultural environments.
Bangladesh tourism faces many problems including areas of marketing,
management, infrastructure, policy, safety, regulation and image. All problems are
not unique and similar to the reality of worldwide tourism destinations. Solutions
should be found out considering every aspect carefully and valuable suggestions
should be provided based on experience, opinion of experts and relevant
knowledge of others.

Overcoming the Physical Planning Gaps in Tourism Development
Bangladesh has just started realizing that the country has an immense potential in
tourism development in the future. The recent policy adopted through a gazette
notification in May, 2010 shows governments desire for exploiting the tourism potential
of the country. The policy has, however, not been backed by detailed strategies, rules and
actions. Such a sector heavily relies on the physical planning, and coordination and
integration of diverse activities performed by various organizations and agencies.
Tourism plan has to address complex issues that need to be accommodated in various
plans at regional and local levels involving politicians, administrators, professionals,
community leaders and investors. Gunn (1988) argues that there is a need to understand
the complex relationship between tourism and recreation, preservation and conservation.
Professionals involved in the preparation of national, regional and local tourism plans
and in the design of site plans for diverse categories of tourism attractions should pay
due attention so that concern for sustainable development is not jeopardized by their
actions. The positive impact of tourism can be great in this respect to maintain a good
balance between tourism and environment. The policy makers and physical planners
involved in tourism planning must not forget this concern of sustainability in
development.
Bangladesh has not progressed much in terms of preparing and implementing physical
plans of its cities and towns and other areas of economic and resource potentials.
An Overview of Present Status and Future Prospects of the Tourism Sector in Bangladesh 75
However, current efforts in preparing Master Plan of cities and municipalities in the
country may help development of tourism plans for resourceful areas of the country.
What is imperative is that these physical plans take care of the resource foundations and
market expansion potential for possible tourism development in each individual case of
urban and rural settings. In each case, a tourism functional system has to be developed
relying on resource bases and internal and external factors of tourism development.
Communities of each tourism spot must be integrated in the tourism development plan.
In this respect, a national physical plan of tourism development has to be framed to
guide regional and local tourism development sectors through Master Plan of individual
cases.
Conclusion
Since tourism is a profitable sector, in the long run, sustainable tourism development in
the country may be possible through adopting appropriate policies and strategies,
knowledge sharing and cooperation. To expand tourism, new destinations based on
regional settings should be identified and preserved for developing attractive tourism
sites both for domestic and foreign tourists. Such places should be kept free from any
illegal encroachment, chaos and pollution. The success of tourism development depends,
however, on the cooperation of various players involved in the sector from public and
private sectors. Finally, as tourism development involves multi-dimensional activities,
visionary leadership at national, regional and local levels is of utmost necessity. It is
hoped that Bangladesh will quickly move forward to exploit the potentials of tourism in
favor of its national development

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