Int�l conference starts today to get Buddhists tourists

A two-day high level international conference on Buddhists tourism with participation of 12 countries will begin in the capital today aiming at creating regional platform for flourishing Buddhists tourism circuit in South Asia, reports BSS.
The Civil Aviation and Tourism Ministry in collaboration with the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) will organise the conference. UNWTO Secretary general Taleb Rifai along with high level delegation from China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar, Bhutan, Nepal, India, Sri Lanka and host Bangladesh will participate in the conference.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the conference to be attended by tourism ministers from Bhutan, Cambodia, Myanmar and Thailand and high officials and Buddhist monks from other countries including Bangladesh.  Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Rashed Khan Menon told the news agency that all kinds of preparation have been taken to hold the conference successfully.  The minister said the home ministry took extra security measures to provide all out safety to the foreign dignitaries arriving here to participate the conference.
Chief Executive Officer(CEO) of Bangladesh Tourism Board (BTB) Akhtaruzzaman Khan Kabir said major objective of the conference is to prepare a roadmap for the planning, development and marketing of sustainable and inclusive cross border Buddhist tourism circuits and routes in South Asia after consultation among globally reputed Buddhist tourism experts and local tourism stakeholders.  
He said the conference will help building a platform of Buddhists with a network of tourism players of regional countries especially Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, India and Sri Lanka.
Kabir said the UNWTO is giving technical support to the Bangladesh government with its world renowned Buddhists tourism experts in organizing the conference.  
The UNWTO nominated its advisor Ludwig G. Rieder Chairman, a renowned expert on Buddhists tourism as the moderator for the conference who will also present the major paper on flourishing Buddhists tourism in Bangladesh.  
“He has already visited different Buddhists attractions of Bangladesh to get himself prepared for the main paper of the conference that will give a guideline to make the road map,” Kabir said.
The Roadmap will be declared at a press conference after the closing ceremony of the conference on Wednesday.
The BTB chief said after finalising the road map, the government will start to develop infrastructure and increase tourism facilities centering the Buddhists attraction across the country.
Despite having 500 ancient Buddhist settlements including historic Paharpur, Mahasthanghar and Moinamoti, Bangladesh is getting a tiny portion from Buddhists tourist circuit that roams around the subcontinent, According to the Indian Bureau of Statistics, he said about 2.25 lakh foreign tourists visited Gaya in 2014 while over two lakh in Bodhgaya, 1.25 lakh in Nalanda and 1.25 lakh in Lumbini, the birth place of Lord Buddha.
As per our statistics he said, only 3,241 foreign tourists visited three ancient Buddhist sites—Paharpur, Mahasthangath and Moinamoti till date.  
Experts projected that US 6 billion dollar in revenue in a year, if it can attract 1.5 lakh foreign tourists to visit Buddhist heritage sites annually.  
He said there are about 450 to 480 million Buddhists across the world and they frequently visit the ancient holy Buddhist archaeological sites and relics.

Int�l conference starts today to get Buddhists tourists

A two-day high level international conference on Buddhists tourism with participation of 12 countries will begin in the capital today aiming at creating regional platform for flourishing Buddhists tourism circuit in South Asia, reports BSS. The Civil Aviation and Tourism Ministry in collaboration with the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) will organise the conference. UNWTO Secretary general Taleb Rifai along with high level delegation from China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar, Bhutan, Nepal, India, Sri Lanka and host Bangladesh will participate in the conference. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the conference to be attended by tourism ministers from Bhutan, Cambodia, Myanmar and Thailand and high officials and Buddhist monks from other countries including Bangladesh. Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Rashed Khan Menon told the news agency that all kinds of preparation have been taken to hold the conference successfully. The minister said the home ministry took extra security measures to provide all out safety to the foreign dignitaries arriving here to participate the conference. Chief Executive Officer(CEO) of Bangladesh Tourism Board (BTB) Akhtaruzzaman Khan Kabir said major objective of the conference is to prepare a roadmap for the planning, development and marketing of sustainable and inclusive cross border Buddhist tourism circuits and routes in South Asia after consultation among globally reputed Buddhist tourism experts and local tourism stakeholders. He said the conference will help building a platform of Buddhists with a network of tourism players of regional countries especially Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, India and Sri Lanka. Kabir said the UNWTO is giving technical support to the Bangladesh government with its world renowned Buddhists tourism experts in organizing the conference. The UNWTO nominated its advisor Ludwig G. Rieder Chairman, a renowned expert on Buddhists tourism as the moderator for the conference who will also present the major paper on flourishing Buddhists tourism in Bangladesh. He has already visited different Buddhists attractions of Bangladesh to get himself prepared for the main paper of the conference that will give a guideline to make the road map, Kabir said. The Roadmap will be declared at a press conference after the closing ceremony of the conference on Wednesday. The BTB chief said after finalising the road map, the government will start to develop infrastructure and increase tourism facilities centering the Buddhists attraction across the country. Despite having 500 ancient Buddhist settlements including historic Paharpur, Mahasthanghar and Moinamoti, Bangladesh is getting a tiny portion from Buddhists tourist circuit that roams around the subcontinent, According to the Indian Bureau of Statistics, he said about 2.25 lakh foreign tourists visited Gaya in 2014 while over two lakh in Bodhgaya, 1.25 lakh in Nalanda and 1.25 lakh in Lumbini, the birth place of Lord Buddha. As per our statistics he said, only 3,241 foreign tourists visited three ancient Buddhist sitesPaharpur, Mahasthangath and Moinamoti till date. Experts projected that US 6 billion dollar in revenue in a year, if it can attract 1.5 lakh foreign tourists to visit Buddhist heritage sites annually. He said there are about 450 to 480 million Buddhists across the world and they frequently visit the ancient holy Buddhist archaeological sites and relics.