Talking to the Financial Express newspaper in Dhaka, Bangladesh Minister of Commerce GM Quader acknowledges the difficulty to build up a tourism industry in the country.
DHAKA- Commerce Minister GM Quader Sunday gave an interview to the business daily Financial Express where he evaluated the development of tourism in Bangladesh. The Minister found the task to develop tourism uneasy as the country struggles to attract foreign tourists due to the lack of proper infrastructural and recreational facilities. “We do not have these things (infrastructural and amusement facilities) developed. If the demand is not there, nobody will invest in infrastructures or recreational facilities. Investors would say : you have only 0.1 million tourists? We cannot afford to spend US$ one billion here,” said the minister.
“If we do not have these facilities we cannot develop. And if we do not invest for the development of infrastructure and other facilities, tourists will not come,” he added.
He was speaking at the concluding ceremony of the 2nd Asian Tourism Fair 2012 that began on Friday. Monthly travel magazine Parjatan Bichitra organised the fair in collaboration with Bangladesh Tourism Board (BTB) and Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation (BPC).
“Tourism in Bangladesh has developed, no doubt about it. That is domestic and outbound tourism is increasing. Tourism in Bangladesh is increasing on low value addition,” he said.
Comparing tourist arrival and foreign currency earning with neighbouring countries such as Sri Lanka, GM Quader indicated that Bangladesh earned less than $ 100 million from tourism sector compared to one billion dollars in Sri Lanka. The Minister spoke also about the necessity to facilitate visa delivery and look at building an image which would in return attract investors into the country to develop tourism facilities.
Luc Citrinot a French national is a freelance journalist and consultant in tourism and air transport with over 20 years experience. Based in Paris and Bangkok, he works for various travel and air transport trade publications in Europe and Asia.
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