Staff Reporter:
Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Afroza Khanam Rita yesterday said the government is working with all relevant stakeholders to transform Bangladesh into an international tourism hub, in line with its electoral commitment.
“Making Bangladesh an international tourism hub is part of our election manifesto, and we are all work-ing together towards that goal,” she said while addressing the launching ceremony of the Travel and Tourism Development Centre (TTDC) at Hotel InterContinental in the capital.
Afroza said the government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, is taking a fresh approach to unlocking the country’s vast tourism potential and positioning the sector as a major driver of economic growth and employment.
“The Honorable Prime Minister has only one goal-the development of the country and the development of its people,” she said.
“We are thinking anew for the country’s tourism sector. If we all work together, we will be able to fulfill the dreams we have for our nation through tourism,” the minister added.
Highlighting the government’s ambition for the sector, Afroza said a National Tourism Council, chaired by the Prime Minister, has been formed with a target to increase tourism’s contribution to GDP from around three percent at present to 6-7 percent in the coming years.
A National Tourism Master Plan is also being finalized, while a mega tourism development initiative is underway covering Cox’s Bazar, Sylhet and Khulna, she said.
More than 100 professional tour guides have already been trained under the government’s skill develop-ment program, she added.
The minister said tourism currently contributes nearly three percent to the national GDP, equivalent to around US$10 billion, and supports more than two million jobs across hotels, airlines, restaurants, tour operations and local guiding services.
She said more than 30 districts have recognized tourist destinations, but the country’s enormous tourism potential has yet to be fully tapped.
“We are sitting on a gold mine and still using a teaspoon to dig,” Afroza said.
Stressing the importance of private-sector leadership, the minister said the government could formulate policies and open doors through diplomatic engagement, but ultimately hoteliers, tour operators, airlines and young entrepreneurs would have to turn Bangladesh into an attractive destination for international travelers.
“This is precisely where the private sector must lead from the front,” she said.
Afroza said closer coordination among government agencies, businesses, researchers, aviation stakehold-ers and the media would be essential to achieve the government’s goal of making Bangladesh an interna-tional tourism hub.
“What tourism truly needs is cooperation-hoteliers talking to researchers, aviation talking to policymak-ers, and journalists holding all of us honestly accountable,” she said.
Against this backdrop, the minister described the newly launched TTDC as an important platform for bringing the public and private sectors together and translating the country’s tourism ambitions into con-crete action.
Formally inaugurating the organization, Afroza urged tourism, hospitality and aviation stakeholders to consider themselves not merely guests at the event but “founding partners in Bangladesh’s next great growth story”.
“This country is for us, and we are for this country and Bangladesh before all. This is our main goal,” she said.
Nasser Rahman, MP and Chairman of the TTDC Launching Committee, chaired the launching ceremony and policy dialogue.
TTDC President Kazi Wahidul Alam gave a brief introduction to the organization, while veteran hotelier and TTDC Executive Committee member Shahid Hamid FIH delivered the welcome address.
The program also featured a keynote presentation by the Co-founder of Sharetrip Sadia Haque on the state of Bangladesh’s tourism, hospitality and aviation sectors, followed by a high-level panel discussion involving representatives from the government, private sector, research organisations and media.
Prime Minister’s Adviser Mahdi Amin, BIDA Executive Chairman Chowdhury Ashik Mahmud Bin Ha-run, CPD Research Director Dr Khondaker Golam Moazzem, The Business Standard Editor Inam Ah-med, Galaxy Group President Ahmed Yusuf Walid and IHG South West Asia Area General Manager Ashwani Nayar took part in the discussion.
