Wanderlust boosts domestic tourism
Tareque Moretaza
The domestic tourism market is showing signs of a surge with about 7 million tourists visiting various destinations in the country each every year.
Beaches and hills remain the two foremost attractions.
Coxs Bazar, the worlds longest sea beach and a place of unparalleled natural beauty situated in the hilly region of Chittagong, is a favourite destination of domestic tourists.
Sylhet is the third most attractive place for them. Traditionally, the place used to draw religious tourists because the Hazrat Shah Jalal and Hazrat Shah Paran shrines are located in the region. Besides, Sylhet is also known of its natural beauty.
Tourism researchers say it is important to keep up the flow of domestic tourists. If the flow drops, the tourism market may collapse.
They also stress better infrastructure and communication to increase the domestic tourist flow.
More jobs
Employment opportunities in the tourism industry have also reportedly increased along with an expansion of the domestic tourism market.
According to the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), around 1.5 million people directly and 2.3 million in all are involved in the Bangladesh tourism industry.
According to tour operators and owners of hotels and motels, around 60 per cent of the domestic travellers visit Coxs Bazar. The rest usually visit Chittagong, Sylhet, the Sundarbans, and some tourist spots in North Bengal. Coxs Bazar is famous for its long and natural sandy sea beach.
Increase in local tourists
Masud Hossain, managing director of Bengal Tours told The Independent, My personal information is that around 65 lakh tourists move across country every year. The number could be more but not less.
Explaining the phenomenon, Masud said, I have collected this data from various hotels, motels and resorts around the country. As a result, the chances of a lesser number of tourists travelling in the country are remote. In fact, the number could be more.
According to Masuds information, other than Coxs Bazar, 2530 lakh tourists travel to the Chittagong Hill Tracts every year, while the number varies between 810 lakh in case of Sylhet.
Some 2 to 2.5 lakh tourists visit places in North Bengal, centering around Mahasthangarh, every year, adds Masud.
Stability of the domestic tourism market and the industrys sustainable growth are vital, says Dhaka University Tourism and Hospitality Department Professor Syed Rashidul Hasan, adding that the government should lay emphasis on this sector.
He told The Independent that the growth being currently witnessed in the domestic tourism market did not happen overnight. The market had been growing gradually after 2000.
According to Prof. Hasans data, there were around 35 lakh domestic tourists in 2000, which has crossed the half a crore mark at present. The number of tourists could exceed a crore in future.
Positive trend
He finds this growing trend positive. The accommodation service is also reported to be developing around tourism spots, especially in Coxs Bazar, the Chittagong Hill Tracts, and Sylhet.
Prof. Hasan, who has been working on the tourism industry for over three decades, said ensuring communication services and reducing traffic problems were crucial for the development of this sector. It was important to cut down travel time and ensure easy accessibility for travellers. Security issues, too, needed to be addressed, he felt.
The state also needs to take the initiative to treat domestic tourists with respectable instead of viewing them as locals or cheap travellers, says Hasan.
Dr Md Nasir Uddin, chief executive officer (CEO) of the Bangladesh Tourism Board (BTB), told The Independent, The domestic tourism market is growing rapidly and we are working to develop this market to enhance the continuity of the industry. We are working relentlessly within a limited budget with the relevant ministries to develop parks in the districts and the communication system across the country. Hopefully, the conditions will change fast.
Poor connectivity
On the other hand, poor connectivity is hindering the growth of the countrys tourism industry. Though this problem has been a matter of long-standing discussions, no headway has been made yet in finding a solution.
The Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation, however, has kept up its efforts.
Earlier in July, Akhtaruzzaman Khan Kabir, chairman of the corporation, said: We are working with the local government to develop infrastructure like roads so that tourists can smoothly reach their destinations.
Researchers, however, said apart from infrastructure facilities, it was also necessary to make utilities such as water and healthcare available to tourists.
The tourism ministry has discussed the issue with other ministries, but no headway has been made yet. The National Tourism Policy, which was revised in 2010, emphasises the importance of inter-ministerial co-ordination to facilitate the implementation of projects meant to link tourist spots.
Dr Syed Rashidul Hasan, a teacher at the Tourism and Hospitality Management department of Dhaka University, told The Independent that at least 15 to 17 ministries were directly or indirectly related to the development activities aimed at improving the connectivity of tourist spots.
It was difficult for the tourism ministry to bring them together, he said, and felt the Prime Ministers initiative was needed to ensure coordination among the various ministries for the sake of the growth of the tourism industry.
If a tourism development committee, led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, is formed, the industry will develop rapidly, Hasan opined.
Tourism experts feel 17 ministries needed to work together to lend greater connectivity to the tourist spots and attract foreign tourists.
The foreign, home, finance, road transport and bridges, forest and environment, and health ministries should coordinate among themselves to provide enhanced connectivity, security, and attraction to the places of tourist interest.
In the absence of such cooperation, the development of the tourism industry was bound to face hurdles, they added.
Big plan
The government is moving ahead to have its first exclusive tourism park in Coxs Bazar to transform the tourism industry developing world-class luxury hotels and ensuring modern facilities like other countries which bring sun-seekers to beaches.
Bangladesh Economic Zone Authority (BEZA) has taken the initiative -- Sabrang Tourism -- encompassing an area of around 1,100 acres having an amazing hill and sea beach territory, multifaceted diverse and admirably beautiful.
The project site is located with exclusive beach front and half-an-hour sea cruise to St. Martin, a coral island.
The proposed park is 5 km away from Teknaf town. Coxs Bazar-Sabrang Marine Drive is the access road to the proposed park and this connects the National Highway in a stretch of 5 km.
Coxs Bazar Airport is at a distance of 96 km from the proposed park. The connectivity from airport to the proposed park takes around 1.5 hours of travel time by road.
Teknaf Land Port is only 9 km form the zone and the Naaf River is only 8 km from zone.
Hotel complexes, eco-tourism, recreational tourism, business tourism, sports, water tourism, education and health tourism are planned to develop in the first exclusive tourism park.
Experts said in order to boost domestic tourism, the government ought to keep in focus some prerequisites. Apart from promotional campaigns, it should ensure that the basic facilities are in place for tourists.
