Promoting sustainable tourism in Sundarbans

Eco-guide training launched

Bangladesh Tourism Board has started to train youths of the Sundarbans region as eco-guide for ensuring responsible tourism in the world's largest mangrove forests, reports BSS.
"We would like to pick many educated and enthusiastic youth from the Sudarbans region to make them eco-guide so that they can conserve unique nature and wildlife of the mangrove forest through ensuring responsible tourism," Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Rashed Khan Menon told the news agency yesterday.
BTB in cooperation with Bengal Tours Ltd, one of the largest tour operators in Sundarbans, imparted a 10-day infield eco-guide training to 20 local youths including four females for the Sundarbans last week.
The minister said practice of eco-tourism is a must in the Sundarbans. The numbers of both local and foreign tourists is increasing in the Sundarbans day by day but we have scarcity of eco tourist guide and professional tour operators here."
He said on the one hand  the eco-guides will ensure biodiversity conservation in the forest, it will create employment opportunities for the local educated youths on the other.
The minister has already urged the forest department to refer eco-guide to the tour operators when they give entry permission of any tourist group.
"If the tour operators hire an eco-guide along with forest guards whenever they bring tourist group in the Sundarbans, the visitors will be encouraged to practise responsible tourism during their stay in deep of the forest," he said.
Noting the importance of the Sundarbans as UNESCO world heritage, Menon said the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) put special emphasis on this world largest mangrove forest.
"We received a proposal from United Nation World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) to present the world's largest mangrove forest Sundarbans, a UNESCO heritage, in front of international holiday makers in proper tourism-friendly way," he said.

Promoting sustainable tourism in Sundarbans

Eco-guide training launched

Bangladesh Tourism Board has started to train youths of the Sundarbans region as eco-guide for ensuring responsible tourism in the worlds largest mangrove forests, reports BSS. We would like to pick many educated and enthusiastic youth from the Sudarbans region to make them eco-guide so that they can conserve unique nature and wildlife of the mangrove forest through ensuring responsible tourism, Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Rashed Khan Menon told the news agency yesterday. BTB in cooperation with Bengal Tours Ltd, one of the largest tour operators in Sundarbans, imparted a 10-day infield eco-guide training to 20 local youths including four females for the Sundarbans last week. The minister said practice of eco-tourism is a must in the Sundarbans. The numbers of both local and foreign tourists is increasing in the Sundarbans day by day but we have scarcity of eco tourist guide and professional tour operators here. He said on the one hand the eco-guides will ensure biodiversity conservation in the forest, it will create employment opportunities for the local educated youths on the other. The minister has already urged the forest department to refer eco-guide to the tour operators when they give entry permission of any tourist group. If the tour operators hire an eco-guide along with forest guards whenever they bring tourist group in the Sundarbans, the visitors will be encouraged to practise responsible tourism during their stay in deep of the forest, he said. Noting the importance of the Sundarbans as UNESCO world heritage, Menon said the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) put special emphasis on this world largest mangrove forest. We received a proposal from United Nation World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) to present the worlds largest mangrove forest Sundarbans, a UNESCO heritage, in front of international holiday makers in proper tourism-friendly way, he said.