1.

Introduction:
Bangladesh is a developing country with a large population. The average GDP growth for the
last few years varies from 5-6%. RMG industry is the source of major foreign currency. In a
recent time, there is a competition in the RMG sector from the competitors. So the searching of
alternatives has emerged besides maintaining the position in RMG.
The promising alternative in this case may be Tourism. Bangladesh is a country of natural
beauty. Some of her parts are covered by Hills and some other parts by the rivers. It has the
longest beach of the world, the Sundarbans with Bio diversity. There are many archaeological
sites also which can easily attract foreign tourists. Tourists are ready to visit these places and also
to pay. But there are some problems to this market sector. If proper policy can be taken and
strategy can be formulated, tourism will also become one of the potential sectors to earn foreign
currency and contribute to the economy. Natural beauty should be protected and facility should
be improved for the tourists as well for attracting them. The potentiality of tourism has been
explored through the details of various tourist spots for attracting tourists from various parts of
the globe and the economic potentiality is explained for the investors’ interest as well in this
paper.

2. What is home-stay tourism?

Home-stay is a popular form of accommodation whereby visitors stay in a house or apartment of
a local of the city to which they are traveling. The length of stay can vary from one night to even
a year and can be for free, in exchange for monetary compensation, in exchange for a stay at the
guest's property either simultaneously or at another time, or in exchange for help on the host's
property. It is sometimes used by people who wish to improve their language skills, immerse in a
particular culture, or become familiar with the local lifestyle. Longer term home stays are
popular with students that are participating in study abroad programs.

Students that wish to participate in home-stays typically arrange them via their school. Travelers
that wish to participate in a home stay typically arrange them via a home-stay network.
For the hosts, the home-stay provides cultural exchange opportunities, or in cases where
compensation is provided, hosts may receive monetary compensation and/or help on their
property.

3. Contracts and Agreements of Home-Stay tourism:

In longer term home-stays, to minimize difficulties, home-stay arrangements may involve a
contract or written agreement between the host and the guest. Verbal agreements may change
contractual clauses depending upon developments after a stay has begun. A contract typically
outlines what is expected of the guest and may include items such as chores to perform (e.g.,
cleaning, laundering), curfews, use of the Internet, television or telephone, and smoking,
drinking, and drugs rules. Agreements may also lay out what is being provided by the host, such
as accommodations, furniture, facilities, meal provisions, transportation, communications, and
entertainment.

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Occasionally, a host family or individual may be looking only to capitalize on the financial
opportunity of a home-stay arrangement and may have little or no concern for the interests of the
other party.

4. What attracts tourists to Home-Stay in Bangladesh?

i. Bangladesh- mother of river:

Bangladesh is called mother of rivers as it is gifted with thousands of rivers- ranging from large,
medium, and small in the length. These rivers, including the diversity of their two sides and
surrounding, makes this country a wonderful water-world.

ii. Longest Beach in the World:

Cox’s Bazar, a southern district of Bangladesh, is gifted with the longest beach in the world.
And it is not only the longest beach in the world but also one of the most beautiful places on the
earth. It is the prime source of attraction to home-stay in the vacation in Bangladesh.

iii. Sundarbans- Magical Mangrove:

Sundarbans, like Cox’s Bazar, is another pride for Bangladesh, being the largest mangrove forest
in the world. And this is called The Magical Mangrove, rightfully, for the variety of biodiversity
it offers. It is the abode of the famous Royal Bengal Tigers.

iv. History and Glory:

Bangladesh has a rich history, culture, and tradition to present to the people of the entire world.
Tourists are come here and explore their knowledge about the sacrifice of the freedom fighter
that fought for the country and snatched national pride and glory from time to time.

v. Villages- Heart of Bangladesh:

Majority of the land area of Bangladesh still holds the villages, so they are obviously the heart of
this country. Thousands of villages offer tourists the most beautiful natural resources, originality,
and purity which may give them glimpse of the freshness of life.

vi. Hills, Mountains, Waterfalls:

Hills, mountains, waterfalls- some of the most fantastic features in our country for tourists.
Specially, the southern and some of the north parts of the country has hundreds of hills,
mountains and waterfalls.

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 Table 1: Tourist spots in Bangladesh

Name of
the Location in
division Bangladesh Places to visit
Barisal Southwest Kuakata
Patenga Sea Beach, War Cemetery, Port, Cox’s Bazar, St.
Martins Island, Himchori and Inani Beach, Parki beach, Lalmai,
Moinamoti and Shalbon Bihar, Chittagong Hill tracks
Chittagong Southern (Rangamati, Khagrachari, Bandarban and Kaptai)
Shaheed Minar, Jatiyo Smritisoudho, Ahsan Manzil, Jatiya Sangshad
Dhaka Capital city Bahavan
Khulna Southwest Sundarban
Rajshahi Northern Mahasthangarh,Varendra Museum
Rangpur Northern Kantagir Temple, Sayedpur railway junction
Jaflong, Ratargul, Madhabkunda waterfall, Satchari National Park ,
Sylhet Notrheast Bisanakandi, Srimongal, Lawacherra Rain Forest

5. Purpose of Home-Stay tourism in Bangladesh:

According to statistics reported by Bangladesh Tourism Board, in 2009 majority of tourists came
to Bangladesh for tourism purpose (i.e. 46%) which was closely followed by business tourism
(41.8%). In addition to these two types of tourism, another popular type is religious tourism (i.e.
3.4%)-where the purpose of the religious visitors to visit the religious sites or events in the
country.

i. Site Tourism:
In Bangladesh, tourists travelling for leisure usually come to enjoy the natural beauty of the
country. As indicated above, these tourists constitute the majority share (i.e. 46%) of the tourist
inflow into the country according to the latest data. This clearly indicates a need to preserve and
protect these spots, as well as provide necessary infrastructural development support to develop.

ii. Business tourism:

Around 42 % of tourists visit Bangladesh for business purposes. A number of successful
international business houses have set up local entities in Bangladesh, whereby a large number of
expatriates travel to Bangladesh to work/conduct business. Due to ever expanding RMG sector,

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large numbers of potential buyers and there delegates are required to visit the country on a
regular basis.

iii. Office Tourism:

Tourists visiting Bangladesh under office tourism constituted only 1.5% of the tourist inflow to
the country. This form of tourism is similar to business tourism in some aspect; however this
type predominantly focuses on the delegates of multinationals which have offices in Bangladesh.
Many of these tourists arrive for tours of their local offices and provide assistance to the offices
may need. 4

iv. Education Tourism: Education tourism is for students who want to enroll into
educational institutions in the country. Many universities and other graduate level institutions
organize international conferences and seminars where delegates from all over the world attend.
These foreign delegates all fall under the category of educational tourism and they constituted
2.4% of the total number of tourists who visited the country.

v. Religious Tourism:
Bangladesh is a Muslim majority nation and it organizes the Bishwa Ijtema which the largest
congregation of Muslims after the Holy Pilgrimage to Makkah. This annual event alone attracts a
huge number of tourists from Muslim world and constitutes 3.4% of the total tourist inflow into
Bangladesh. Other religious groups in the country are relatively much smaller in number;
however their events do attract tourists although in a smaller scale.

vi. Other Tourism:

Other forms of tourism includes Bicycle touring, Boat sharing, Cultural tourism, Dark tourism,
Rural tourism, River cruise, Nautical tourism, Jihadi tourism, Halal tourism, Sports tourism,
Slum tourism, Virtual tour, Walking tour, Wildlife tourism and Water tourism. Very often,
people come for short visits to meet relatives, participating sports and international awareness
program etc.

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6. International Tourism, number of arrivals in Bangladesh (1995-2014)

Figure: 4.1

7. Present status of tourism in Bangladesh:

The importance of tourism sector has increased overtime. In 2009-2010, 838 were allocated for
tourism sector from national budget. This has been increased to 1818 in 2011-2012. However,
lately there is a decreasing trend in tourism expenditure. In 2013-2014, tourism expenditure in
national budget has been falling to 683. This decreasing trend may be due to the current political
crisis, which has discouraged tourism in Bangladesh.

The revised budget allocation for FY 2013-2014 to FY 2015-2016 and the proposed allocation
for FY 2016-2017 to the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism are shown below:

Financial Financial Non- Development Total Revenue Capital

Year Year development
2013-2014 Revised 42,88,45 242,05,00 284,93,45 45,34,95 239,58,50
budget
2014-2015 Revised 41,55,38 104,55,00 146,10,38 49,00,32 97,10,06
budget
2015-2016 Revised 44,25,60 245,30,00 289,55,60 57,11,20 232,44,40
budget
2016-2017 Budget 60,00,00 488,63,00 548,63,00 67,11,00 481,52,00

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8. An Experience of Home-Stay
This is the story of a couple, Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott who did Home-Stay in one of the
village in Bangladesh named Hatiandha from Natore.

They told about the hospitality and potentialities about the home-stay in Bangladesh. Here is the
story of them:

There I was in a traditional courtyard kitchen in a village in Bangladesh. Dirt floor, earthen oven. Mrs.
Ali, our host mother, stoked the fire and minded several hot pans. It was time to slice the onions and my
turn was up.

I held a small one between my hands. To avoid cutting my fingers off with the blade of a curved knife-
edge secured between my feet, I’d narrowed my focus. Mrs. Ali and her college-aged daughter, Asmani,
were curious. Nervous too. They had good reason to be. I’d cut many an onion before in my life, but
never quite in this way.

Slowly, I pushed the onion through the blade, almost to the end. Then I turned it to cut the other way. My
fingers remained intact and the onion was sliced — not finely or perfectly, but cut. Mrs. Ali threw the
onions into a hot frying pan, added dabs of a few of her spice pastes, and continued to stoke the fire just
so.

I think I passed the test; a bowl of okra appeared next for me to cut.

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8.1 Bangladeshi Village Life: A Taste
Bangladeshi cities may be bustling, crowded, and jammed with activity, but the soul of
Bangladesh is in its villages and along its rivers. Villages that surprise with their calm, their
order and their relative peace. Sure there’s activity — in the fields, homes, schools, mosques and
temples, but there’s a different pace to it all than you’ll find in a Bangladeshi city. In the words
of a friend working in development,

“When I go to the Bangladesh countryside, it gives me a sense of hope.”

Their first afternoon walk through the village of Hatiandha outside of Natore was their initial
taste of this: villagers harvesting crops and planting fields anew, flocks of animals gathering, and
gaggles of geese scrabbling about. Kids played after school cricket, and families spent time
winding up their day. Of course, they took a break to catch a glimpse of the visitors, or even to
get a handshake.

8.2 From Stranger to Guest:

When they returned to their home stay home in the evening, guests were got to know host family
— and hosts were got to know the guest’s — a little better over dinner. The awkwardness of
being the center of attention faded as guests chatted and asked questions to get closer to
understanding one another.

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8.3 School Visit:

The following morning, the guests were gone for visiting the school. When they reached school
they saw that the school students were in the school field to greet them which made them so
precious. They met with them and know about their lifestyle, interests in different sectors and
their future aim what they want to do in their future. Guests asked the students varies types of
questions related to the country which they want to know and also curious about our country.
School students helped them to meet their curiosity.

8.4 Pottery and Puffed Rice: A Lesson

Next up was a pottery village and seeing how puffed rice was made. When we agreed to this side
trip, we’d imagined something a la tourist village presentation. Instead, we got another glimpse
of ordinary yet fascinating village life whose pace didn’t skip a beat for our visit.

Take the pottery. Throughout our visits to South Asia, we’d become big fans of doi, a sweet curd
snack usually served in terra cotta containers, no matter how small the portion. Firm sweet
yogurt and its bacteria tucked into little ceramic bowls — a surprisingly delicious blend.

When we arrived at the pottery village, we realized where all those doi pots had come from.
Every manner of bowl, pot and container, including the very smallest were thrown by hand. This
village was home to a unique Hindu caste that specialized in pottery. Master potters are able to
churn out hundreds — if not thousands — of yogurt cups, pitchers and water pots in a single day.

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 Fig: Pottery

Fig: puffed rice

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8.5 Mehndi (Henna) Night:
During our last night in the village, the girls of the house took over and put on a mehndi (henna) party in
our room. My hands were soon transformed into a canvas of flowers and designs with the help Asmani
and her cousin. Soon, the room was filled with the entire extended family.

The father and son took an interest in learning how to take photos with our camera. At first, they were
overwhelmed. Then, they were downright addicted. Grandma, too, took an interest — in convincing Dan
to let Asmani mehndi his hands.

8.6 Arranging a Bangladesh Home-stay with Eco Connection:

This rural home-stay program in Hathiandha in northwestern Bangladesh near the town of
Natore is a new program run by Eco Connection. Although the program is new, the parent NGO
(ESDO) has been operating in the village for years and has developed relationships with the
community. The goal of the program is to provide an opportunity of exchange between travelers
and members of the community, as well as to promote the economic benefits of rural tourism
development. Spending time in a Bangladeshi village with a family — to live village life for a
few days, to meet people, to observe, to ask questions and to learn — is the one of the best
firsthand tools to begin to understand this country.

Eco Connection is also working with a village outside of Dhaka and has plans for other programs
throughout Bangladesh. If you’re planning a trip to Bangladesh, consider arranging a village
home-stay with Eco Connection. You won’t be disappointed.

9. The Positives Qualities of Bangladesh playing vital role in the development

of Home-Stay tourism:

 Hospitability:
Bangladesh is known abroad as a country of floods, cyclones and other natural
calamities. But if you meet any foreign tourist, who has been in Bangladesh for some
time, you will certainly be amazed to hear about the positive sides of the country. To the
Europeans, Bangladeshi people are most hospitable in the world. Even today Bangladeshi
people cry at the departure of their guests. If Malaysia represents Truly Asia, Bangladesh
represents Truly Asian Hospitality. Just by visiting the country, the foreign tourists feel
the difference. Besides, Bangladesh is rich in tourism resources which include world
heritage sites, archaeological sites, historical mosques and monuments, resorts, long
beaches, largest mangrove forest in the world, tribal life, wildlife, rich cultural diversities,
etc.

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  Bangladeshi Culture & Society:

Hierarchy:
 Bangladesh is a hierarchical society.
 People are respected because of their age and position.
 Older people are naturally viewed as wise and are granted respect.
 Bangladeshis expect the most senior male, by age or position, to make decisions that are in the
best interest of the group. This is also valid in businesses, the majority of which will be family
owned/run.

Religion
 The majority of Bangladeshis are Muslim. However, most still very much mix this with pre-
Islam folk traditions.
 Bangladeshis identify with the folk traditions of Bengali culture. This includes belief in
shamanism and the powers of fakirs (Muslim holy men who are exorcists and faith healers),
ojhaa (shamins with magical healing powers), and Bauls (religious mendicants and wandering
musicians).
 There is a strong tradition of music, dance, and literature that includes classical devotions of
Hindu and Muslim music.

Festivals
 Islam defines many of the festivals in Bangaldesh. These include two Eids (one after Ramadan
and one after the Hajj) Shab-e-Qadr (the night of power), Milad un-Nabi (birth date of the
Prophet Muhammad) and Shab-e-Barat (the night of the fortune).
 Hindu influences festivals include Durga Puja and Kali Puja (community worshipping of
Goddess Durga and Kali).
 On the whole an entire community participates in each other's religious ceremonies.

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 Customs and Etiquette in Bangladesh

Meeting & Greeting:

 Greetings usually take place between members of the same sex.
 The hand shake is common although they may feel rather limp.
 Women will only really be met within business contexts and even so, it is best to wait to see if a
hand is extended before doing so.
 The traditional greeting for Muslims is Asalamu alaikum to which the response is wa alaikum
salam.
 Naming conventions are very much based on the hierarchical nature of Bangladeshi society.
 Bangladeshis will append a suffix to a person's name to denote respect and the level of closeness
between the two people.
 In general, age dictates how people are addressed.
 If people are of the same age, they use first names.
 If the person being addressed is older than the speaker, the person is called by their first name
and a suffix that denotes the family relationship.

Gift Giving Etiquette:

 Gifts are mainly given between family members at religious holidays, especially after Ramadan
and Hajj.
 In cities, it is becoming more common for gifts to be given on birthdays.
 In Bangladesh the importance of gifts is in the thought rather than the value. Part of the reason
lies in the fact that gifts should be generally reciprocated and it would be considered rude to offer
someone a gift that is difficult to reciprocate.

Some general gift giving etiquette guidelines include:

 When visiting a Bangladeshi's home, it is more common to bring pastries, sweets or good quality
chocolates.
 If bringing flowers avoid frangipanis as they are used at funerals.
 Similarly white flowers indicate mourning.
 Do not give alcohol or products containing non-halal meat to Muslims.
 Never give money.

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 It is considered bad form to open gifts in front of the giver.
 Gifts are given with two hands.

Dining Etiquette
 If meeting with people for dinner here are some basic rules on etiquette and protocol:
 If invited to a meal it is rude to flatly turn the invitation down. One should always use less direct
language to suggest that it may be difficult such as "I will try." or "I will have to see".
 Meals both inside the house and outside will usually be same sex.
 Many people eat with their hands and it may be that you share food from a common dish.
 It would not be seen as impolite if you asked for utensils.
 Ensure you wash your hands before eating.
 Guests are generally served first then the oldest, continuing in order of seniority.
 Do not start eating until the oldest person at the table begins.
 You will constantly be urged to take more food. Simply saying "I'm full" will be taken as a polite
gesture and not accepted at face value. It is therefore always best to pace yourself to allow for
more servings.
 The left hand is considered unclean so only eat, pass dishes or drink with the right hand.

Business Etiquette, Protocol and Customs in Bangladesh

Customs and Etiquette Bangladesh Communication Styles:
 Bangladeshis are quite implicit/indirect communicators. They tend to communicate in long, rich
and contextualized sentences which only make sense when properly understood in relation to
body language.
 It is important for people who come from implicit/direct cultures to understand that their
communication styles may be seen as rude and the information provided inadequate.
 Personal space is less of an issue in Bangladesh than many European cultures. Bengalis stand
close when speaking to someone of the same gender and touch is common.
 However, when speaking with a woman the space is often increased.

Meeting & Greeting:

 Business etiquette in Bangladesh is reasonably formal. Proper behaviour is expected.
 Men greet each other with a handshake upon arriving and leaving.

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 Foreign men should nod to a Bangladeshi woman unless she extends her hand. Businessmen
should be addressed by the term "Bahadur" ("Sir"), while women may be addressed as "Begum"
("Madam"). This may be used with or without the surname.
 Wait until your counterpart moves to a first name basis before you do so.

Business Card Etiquette:

 Business cards are exchanged after the initial introduction.
 Educational qualifications are valued so include any university degrees.
 Present your business card with the right hand.
 Treat business cards given to you with respect. Merely glancing at it then throwing it on the table
would be rude. Study it, comment on it and ideally place it into a business card holder.

Business Meetings:
 Meetings in Bangladesh are generally the place where decisions are disseminated rather than
made.
 They will usually be led by the most senior present that sets the agenda, the content, and the pace
of the activities.
 Meeting structures are not very linear in Bangladesh. There may be an agenda and a starting
time, but they only serve as guidelines.
 Completing a meeting fully takes priority over time and may extend well past any scheduled end
time.
 Meetings may commence with some small talk.
 Communication is formal and follows a hierarchical structure. Deference to the most senior
person in the group is expected. This is especially true when dealing with government officials.
 One should never let their level of professionalism slip. Casual behavior may be misinterpreted
as a lack of respect.
 Never lose your temper or show emotion. This may lead to a loss of face which will mean a loss
of dignity and respect.
 The need to avoid a loss of face is also reflected in communication styles. Rather than say no or
disappoint people Bangladeshis will phrase sentiments in such as way that it is up to people to
read between the lines to understand what is being implied. Phrases such as "we will try", "that
may be difficult", or "we will have to give that some though" may really mean "this can't be

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 done". . Therefore, it is important to ask questions in several ways so you can be certain what
were meant by a vague response. Silence is often used as a communication tool.
 Many people comment on the lack of smiles in Bangladesh. This has nothing to do with
unfriendliness but rather related to the fact that a serious face is believed to demonstrate
maturity.

 Food:

i. Traditional Foods and Food Habits in Bangladesh:

Every country has its own tradition of foods. Bangladesh has also the same. In the sense
of food habits, Bangladesh is influenced by the regional variations of her history. Being
an outpost of Mughal Empire once, Bangladesh retains its heritage. Bangladesh is famous
for rice production which has been the chief occupation of its people. Rice therefore the
main food of Bangladesh. The Bangladeshis eat rice, not just a small quantity but a lot.
They eat rice every day and at every meal with great testy and spicy curry of vegetables,
fishes and meat.

For Vegetarians Bangladesh is a paradise. Plenty of fresh vegetable is available

throughout the year. Among them, winter vegetables are more popular because of their
different preparations and taste. The common vegetables of Bangladesh are Cauliflower,
Cabbage, Tomato, Potato, Beans, Reddish, Peas, Eggplant, Drumstick and many others.
Most of the restaurants serve some kinds of vegetables everyday either fried or curry or
even varta.

ii. Foods Varieties:

During the harvesting season breakfast and evening snakes consist of a great variety of
Pithas (rice cakes) of different sizes and shapes, salted or sugary, fried, boiled, sun dried
or cooked. The remarkable Pithas are Sandwish, chitoi, dhupi, Pati-Sapta, antasha, pufi,
Vapa, pua, various Nakshi Pitha etc. Swandwish pitha (taler pitha) is prepared from a
mixture of rice flour, gur and salt, fried in mustard oil. Chitai a paste of rice flour baked
in especially designed clay pans. It may be soaked for a day or two in evaporated milk.
Pati Sapta is a variety of rolled pancakes with Kheer (great delicious, prepared with milk
thickened through continuous boiling) filling. During weddings the bridegroom is given
Nakhsi Pithas-carved and decorated rice cakes, which are real tasty.

 Festivals:

i. Eid ul-Fitr

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 A rural congregation for Eid-al-Fitr prayers

As the most important religious festival for the majority of Muslims, the celebration of Eid ul-
Fitr has become a part of the culture of Bangladesh. The government of Bangladesh declares the
holiday for three days on Eid-ul Fitr. But practically, all schools, colleges and offices remain
closed for a week. This is the happiest time of the year for most of the people in Bangladesh. All
outgoing public transport from the major cities have become highly crowded and in many cases
the fares tend to rise in spite of government restrictions. On Eid day, the Eid prayers are held all
over the country, in open areas like fields, Eidgahs or inside mosques.[2] After the Eid prayers,
people return home, visit each other's home and eat sweet dishes called Shirini, Sheer
Khurma and other delicacies like biryani, korma, haleem, kebab etc. Throughout the day people
embrace each other and exchange greetings. It is also customary for junior members of the
society to touch the feet of the seniors, and seniors returning blessings (sometimes with a small
sum of money as a gift). Money and food is donated to the poor. In the rural areas, the Eid
festival is observed with great fanfare. Quiet remote villages become crowded. In some areas Eid
fairs are arranged. Different types of games including boat racing, kabaddi, and other traditional
Bangladeshi games, as well as modern games like cricket and football are played on this
occasion. In urban areas, people play music, visit each other's houses, arrange picnics and eat
special food. The homes, streets, markets and parks are illuminated with lighting decorations in
the evening. Watching movies and television programs has also become an integral part of the
Eid celebration in urban areas. All local TV channels air special program for several days for this
occasion.

ii. Eid ul-Adhha

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 An urban congregation for Eid-ul-Adha prayers in Dhaka.

The second most important religious festival. The celebration of Eid ul-Adha is similar to Eid ul-Fitr in
many ways. The only big difference is the Qurbani or sacrifice of domestic animals on Eid ul-Adha.
Numerous temporary marketplaces of different sizes called hat operate in the big cities for sale of
Qurbani animals (usually cows, goats and sheep). In the morning on the Eid day, immediately after the
prayer, affluent people thank God for the animal, and then sacrifice it. Less affluent people also take part
in the festivity by visiting houses of the affluent who are taking part in qurbani. After the qurbani, a large
portion of the meat is given to the poor people. Although the religious doctrine allows the sacrifice
anytime over a period of three days starting from the Eid day, most people prefer to perform the ritual on
the first day of Eid. However, the public holiday spans over three to four days. Many people from the big
cities go to their ancestral houses and homes in the villages to share the joy of the festival with friends and
relatives.

iii. Pohela Boishakh

Pohela Baishakh celebration in Dhaka, Bangladesh

Pôhela Boishakh is the first day of the Bengali calendar. It is usually celebrated on 14 April.
Pohela Boishakh marks the start day of the crop season. Usually on Pôhela Boishakh, the home
is thoroughly scrubbed and cleaned; people bathe early in the morning and dress in fine clothes.
They spend much of the day visiting relatives, friends, and neighbours and going to the fair.
Fairs are arranged in many parts of the country where various agricultural products,
traditional handicrafts, toys, cosmetics, as well as various kinds of food and sweets are sold. The
fairs also provide entertainment, with singers, dancers and traditional plays and songs. Horse
races, bull races, bullfights, cockfights, flying pigeons, and boat racing were once popular. All
gatherings and fairs consist a wide spread of Bengali food and sweets. The most colourful New
Year's Day festival takes place in Dhaka. Large numbers of people gather early in the morning
under the banyan tree at Ramna Park where Chhayanat artists open the day with Rabindranath
Tagore's famous song, Esho, he Boishakh, Esho esho(Come, year, come, come). A similar

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ceremony welcoming the new year is also held at the Institute of Fine Arts (Dhaka)
and University of Dhaka. Students and teachers of the institute take out a colourful procession
and parade to round the campus. Social and cultural organisations celebrate the day with cultural
programmes. Newspapers bring out special supplements. There are also special programmes on
radio and television. Prior to this day, special discounts on clothes, furniture, electronics and
various deals and shopping discounts are available. Special line of saree, usually cotton, white
sarees with red print and embroidery is sold before this day as everyone dresses up for this day.
Jasmine and marigold flowers are also a huge sale for this event which adorns the women's hair.

iv. Language day

Shaheed Minar

In 1952, the emerging middle classes of East Bengal underwent an uprising known later as the
Bangla Language Movement. Bangladeshis (then East Pakistanis) were initially agitated by a
decision by the Central Pakistan Government to establish Urdu, a minority language spoken only
by the supposed elite class of West Pakistan, as the sole national language for all of Pakistan.
The situation was worsened by an open declaration that "Urdu and only Urdu will be the national
language of Pakistan" by the governor, Khawaja Nazimuddin. Police declared Section 144 which
banned any sort of meeting. Defying this, the students of University of Dhaka and Dhaka
Medical College and other political activists started a procession on 21 February 1952. Near the
current Dhaka Medical College Hospital, police fired on the protesters and numerous people,
including Abdus Salam, Rafiq Uddin Ahmed, Sofiur Rahman, Abul Barkat and Abdul Jabbar
died. The movement spread to the whole of East Pakistan and the whole province came to a
standstill. Afterwards, the Government of Pakistan relented and gave Bengali equal status as a
national language.This movement is thought to have sown the seeds for the independence
movement which resulted in the liberation of Bangladesh in 1971. To commemorate this
movement, Shaheed Minar (শহীদ মিনার), a solemn and symbolic sculpture, was erected in the
place of the massacre. The day is revered in Bangladesh and, to a somewhat lesser extent, in
West Bengal as the Martyrs' Day. This day is the public holiday in Bangladesh. UNESCO
decided to observe 21 February as International Mother Language Day. The UNESCO General
Conference took a decision to that took effect on 17 November 1999 when it unanimously
adopted a draft resolution submitted by Bangladesh and co-sponsored and supported by 28 other
countries.

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 v. Durga Puja

Durga Puja in Bangladesh

Durga Puja, largest religious festival for Hindus, is celebrated widely across Bangladesh.
Thousands of pandals (mandaps) are set up in various villages, towns and cities. Durga Puja is a
grand cultural celebration in the capital city of Dhaka. Major pujas of Dhaka are held in
numerous pandals, but the biggest celebration takes place at Dhakeshwari Temple where several
thousand worshippers and onlookers stream through the premises for four days. Special boat race
on Buriganga river is arranged and it attracts a large crowd. A five-day holiday is observed by all
educational institutions, while Bijoya Dashami is a national holiday. On Bijoya Dashami,
effigies are paraded through the streets of Shankhari Bazaar in Old Dhaka in loud, colourful
processions before being immersed into the rivers. Thousands of Muslims take part in the secular
part of festivities in celebration of Bengali solidarity and culture.

 Architecture and heritage:

Bangladesh has appealing architecture from historic treasures to contemporary
landmarks. It has evolved over centuries and assimilated influences from social,
religious and exotic communities. Bangladesh has many architectural relics and
monuments dating back thousands of years.

Lalbagh Fort, Mughal architecture of Bangladesh

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10. Why isn’t Home-Stay tourism still popular in our county?
i. Not enough knowledge about home-stay tourism:

In Bangladesh most of the people don’t know what home-stay tourism actually is. Maximum
people are struggling for their livelihood and to improve their standard of living. As they are not
much updated about this so, they do not realize how home stay tourism enriches the culture
exchange program between two countries and consider it in a stereotypical way. In village,
people don’t know how to use internet so it’s the barrier for them to not knowing this term.

For development:

 Those who know about the home-stay tourism they should arrange the campaign for its
development where general people get know about- what home-stay tourism is, what is
the procedure of it, how to deal with the guests, how to invite them in online, what they
should do for the guests comfort, its impact on our economy, culture and social life.

ii. Responsibility of Government:

Besides of general people, our Government also not thinks much about home-stay tourism. The
budget of this sector is not enough to improve. They do not have any broad plan for it.

For development:

 To improve facilities for home-stay guests, government should increase their budget in
this sector.
 Need to take a broad plan how to increase home-stay tourism in Bangladesh.

iii. Safety Problem of guests:

Bangladesh has a safety problem. Women as well as men do not move alone in the countryside
randomly. Rape, highjack, murder, aggression etc. are the common scenario of our country. This
situation questions the safety of the Foreigners.

For development:

 As we are the people of non-developed country we cannot ignore this type of safety
problems but atleast we have to enable legislations to improve the situation. Actually
from our perspective prevention is hard to be done but we can try to improve the
condition.

iv. Lack of tour agency and tour guide:

We have some tour agencies and tour guides but they are not good enough. Tour guides are
not trained and don’t know how to communicate properly with the foreign guests.

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 For development:

 Tour agencies are needed to develop their management system and open a site of them
which attracts people to come and stay in our country.
 Tour guides must be well educated and know about our country’s history, locations of
sites, traditions etc. and also need to know how to represent it to them.

v. Transit system is not available:

In Bangladesh transit system is not available. Not having enough Transit facilities are one of
the main obstacles for home-stay tourism. Transit system gives opportunities to a country to
get known to other side of the world.

For development:

 Our government should take steps for making a well facilitate transit route in
Bangladesh so that it creates curiosity to the foreigners to visit in our country for
home-stay tourism.

vi. Tourist sites are not in well preservation:

Bangladesh is the country of natural beauty and has so many beautiful tourist sites. But-
We don’t take care of them

We don’t even think to decorate it properly for tourism

We don’t use our natural beauty for enrich our economy.

For development:

 We need to preserve our archeology, history sites, and beauty sites for our
development.
 We need to encourage people for doing something innovative things by using this
beauty.
 Government need to order their Cabinet members to preserve the sites properly.

. 11. Economic Effect of Tourism in Bangladesh:

There is variety of economic impact of tourism. Tourism activities change in sales, income and
employment in a region. These effects are distinguished in direct, indirect and induced. The total
economic impact is the sum of all direct, indirect and induced effect. Effects that are caused from
immediate effect of changes in tourist expenditure are called direct effect. There is a backward
linkage of some of the industries with the hotels. These industries supply some of the products or
services to the hotels. Due to the increased number of tourist supply of these product or services

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is required in massive volume which is called indirect effect. For example the indirect effects of
tourism concern all sectors of the economy, especially agri-food industries and all tourism-
related services such as air transport. Induced effects are the changes in economic activities
resulting from household spending of income earned directly or indirectly as a result from
tourism spending. 5.1 Tourist Arrivals in Bangladesh

12. Recommendations to Solve the Problems:

Tourist attraction should be turned into tourism product i.e. finished product to sell. Appropriate
infrastructural development, super-structure development and introduction of waste management
and sustainability of the tourist attraction for our prosperity are most essential. Different
activities should be developed for the tourists so that they can be kept busy with and money can
be brought from their pockets. One thing is to be kept in our mind that tourists come here to
spend money not to take back. Infrastructural development such as accommodation, eateries,
good communication and transportation, toilet facility, parking facility etc. should be ensured
near the tourist spots so that people of all ages and even physically challenged people can travel.
Bangladesh may establish tourism offices in the tourist generating countries, such as China, UK,
USA, Japan, Australia because these countries produce more than 70 percent of the world’s
outbound tourists. Tourism products can be diversified based on archaeology, culture and
monument, river, tea garden, indigenous culture etc. We may develop many condominiums,
international convention center etc in Dhaka and Cox’s bazaar to attract multinational companies
to hold their AGMs and other meetings. We can develop venues and infrastructure to promote
sport tourism in Bangladesh by seeking both local and foreign investment. Domestic tourism
should be developed so that it can increase confidence of investors to invest for attracting foreign
tourist. Bangladesh may take steps to develop eco-tourism especially in the naturally and
culturally rich areas. We can install world class cruise vessels to take tourists to the Sundarbans.
Bangladesh should take proper steps to ensure safety and security of the tourists. This process
can be made effective by involving local people of the tourist places. Bangladesh may change its
visa policy by giving visa waiver for the top tourist generating countries and introduce visa on
arrival system for tourist attraction. RMG, Srimp, jute items are now facing competition from
other country. Tourism can be a good alternative of export items to support foreign currency.
Public awareness should be created. Ugly tourism like exploitation, prostitution and child abuse
should be checked strictly. We should follow the global code of tourism set by the UNWTO.

1. Plan to make a new tourism policy, which should be in tune with the new national economic,
social, environmental policies and trends. The new policy should recognize the roles of both the
public sector and the private sector in the development of tourism.

2. The support for women to become self-employed through tourism-related activities should be
linked with micro-credit programs.

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3. Loans to women’s initiatives should be included as a means of creating opportunities for the
industry to buy and source locally, thus maximizing the benefits for local communities.

4. Training should also be provided to promote activities that are indirectly linked to tourism,
such as printing, dying and folk-arts.

5. Development of the handicraft industry should form an important part of strategic planning for
community participation in tourism, especially the participation of women.

6. The tourism industry and tourism boards should abolish marketing strategies using women’s
stereotypical images as part of the product.

7. Employers should review their standards and criteria for employing women and men, and their
policies to protect women from sexual objectification and sexual harassment by customers.

8. The development of tourist facilities should be taken up in a planned manner at government

and non-government levels.

9. Steps should be taken to improve domestic tourism. This has increased during the last one
decade. But there are no statistics on its growth.

10. Parjatan Corporation and private tour operators should have field offices outside the country.

11. Tourism should be integrated with all the national events, either cultural or religious.

12. E-tourism is one of the fastest-growing e-commerce sectors. It also increases hardware and
software purchases. E-tourism is also important for a developing country like Bangladesh,
because it could generate employment and foreign currency earnings. Parjatan Corporation and
the private tour operators should take it up seriously.

The ministry of tourism should be cooperated by other ministry and departments such as a
Ministry of Finance, Civil aviation, Home ministry, foreign ministry. Community-based rural
tourism is a must for the economic development of Bangladesh. Its earnings will act as a 56
vehicle for the overall development of Bangladesh. Development of rural tourism will have the
following results:

Increase in Gross Domestic Product.

 Human resource development.
 Poverty mitigation
 Promotion of indigenous culture and heritage.
 Development of river tourism and eco-tourism.
 Development of rural livelihood.
 Protection of indigenous rights and resources.
 Education and training for all.
 Conservation of environment.

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 Increase in local export.
 Peace and happiness.
 Promotion of local cuisine.

13. Conclusion:
Home-stay accommodation has unique potential to promote cultural awareness and cultural exchange
through sharing life and family experience. There is very little research into how home-stay has
encouraged mutual exchanges of culture between international guests and their hosts. This paper draws on
recent research into home-stay accommodation and investigates the theoretical purposes of home-stay,
and the myriad possibilities in home-stay for mutual cultural exchange between home-stay guests and
hosts. The research investigates perceived relationships and roles within home-stay families, how much
possibility is in our country do establish this, impact of home-stay tourism, what we need to do for
increasing home-stay tourism in our country etc.

Reference:
1. www.home-stay.com
2. Home-stay experience of Daniel Scott and Audrey
3. Article on home-stay tourism

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4. World bank status
5. Tourism in Bangladesh: present and future prospects

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