Sikkim and the seven-sisters of north-east India, along with south-eastern Bangladesh, truly form the confluence where South Asia meets the South-East and, thus, bears all the hall marks of ethno-cultural conglomerate. In a larger frame, Bhutan and Nepal, two famous daughters of the great Himalayas, join Bangladesh and India to complete the edifice of the eastern part of the South Asian family. Thus the concept of BBIN (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal) for closer cooperation and shared development.

The government of Bangladesh recognizes this reality and is fully committed to foster sub-regional cooperation by way of strengthening, among others, the physical connectivity projects focusing on “rivers, roads and peoples”. Cooperation in the spheres of tourism -- including cultural, educational and religious tourism -- and collaboration in trade and commerce can lead to a win-win situation that are mutually beneficial to peoples across the borders.

Despite geographical proximity, the Northeastern Indian States are hardly known to most Bangladeshis. Of the ‘Seven Sister’ States, Assam and Tripura are relatively better known to Bangladesh because of their historical track record. The northeastern region of India is basically land-locked region and is in isolation from the mainland India. The rail and road communication between India’s heartland and this region proceeds through the narrow and cumbersome chicken-neck Siliguri corridor. Bangladesh offered the prospect of ending the post-1947 isolation of this region. Bangladesh is the dependable bridge between the northeastern zone and the mainland India by using the existing rail, road, river and the air connectivity.  

Bangladesh has borders with Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram including 262 km in Assam, 856 km in Tripura, 180 km in Mizoram, 443 km in Meghalaya. Unfortunately this stretch of 1741 kilometers of border line contains only three border checkposts covering only Tripura and Meghalaya states. For tourism development, the countries concerned should act as tourism-friendly countries. “Keep-close” policy is not conducive to tourism development. Once the Nobel laureate poet Rabindra Nath Thakur wrote, “যুক্ত করহে সবার সঙ্গে মুক্ত কর বন্ধ”.  The first step towards expansion of tourism in between Bangladesh and the 7-sister will be to open up all the closed border check posts for tourists. Besides, we have to explore the opportunities for creation of more border check posts and developing the infrastructural facilities including road and rail connectivity.  In addition, our International airport in Sylhet can serve as the passageway for the isolated northeastern people towards rest of the world.

Bangladesh can also serve the people of this region in terms of  medical tourism, and  education tourism with her state-of –art world famous hospitals and the educational institutions, universities, medical and engineering  colleges.

The longest unbroken sandy sea beach of Cox’s Bazar can be an exotic tourism destination for the land-locked hilly people who have a natural affinity toward the vast sea representing escapism from strenuous mountainous monotony.  

A Buddhist Tourism Circuit covering Bangladesh, Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim can be developed and promoted.  Although there are close cultural affinities between NE States of India and Bangladesh, presently, there is hardly any cultural interaction amongst Bangladesh, Tripura, Meghalaya, Manipur and Assam. I find a wider scope to work for Cultural tourism too.

 Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal (BBIN) have recently signed a regional motor vehicle agreement, paving the way of movement of both people and goods among the four countries.

It created huge opportunity for tourism development. Immediate implementation of the agreement has become the call of the hour.  Last but not least , the present practice of granting visas and the sufferings there off are not conducive to tourism expansion in these two countries. In my opinion, introducing Visa on Arrival (VoA) at the border checkpoints will go a long way to develop tourism in this region.   

We can certainly develop bilateral and multilateral cooperation in this sub-region, as a special focus area, within the larger framework of bilateral and multilateral cooperation in areas like river basin management, climate change adaptation, natural resource management, tourism and border development, disaster management, organic green industries and agricultural development. This will help to create enormous synergy for growth and prosperity.

But the governments of the countries and states within the countries can’t achieve this alone. It requires an active participation of the people. The active engagement of all stakeholders in particular, and the civil society in general, is mandatory to make this dream come true. Civil society organizations like Research and Development Collective (RDC) in Bangladesh and Asian Confluence in Meghalaya, India, can act as the “Third Space” platforms to facilitate interactions amongst universities, businesses, academics, artists, tourism industry, media and other stakeholders.

Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to invite people to visit Bangladesh -- a land with panoramic beauties, attractive history, thriving synergetic culture, fascinating archaeological sites, longest sandy beach of the world, and fascinating wildlife including the Royal Bengal Tigers. You will surely be attracted by the world’s single largest mangrove forest - Sundarbans, Oceanic Kuakata, Coral island Saint Martin’s, the greenery of Bandarban with her colorful Indigenous population and the lake city of Rangamati. The magnificence of Dhaka city, alongside the beauty of the Port City of Chittagong, and the magnanimity of the Sylhet villages, are sure to catch your imagination.  Above all, the mighty Padma, Meghna and Jamuna, and the gorgeous Bay of Bengal, are there to sit beside and relax. 2016 is the Year of Tourism in Bangladesh. You are most welcome in 2016 and thereafter.

It is a pleasure to anyone to visit rich cultural heritages and very old history of civilization of Bangladesh. One may get the opportunity to enjoy the company of smiling and hospitable people of Bangladesh.  The taste of typical delicious Bangladeshi foods especially the sumptuous Hilsha fish of Bangladesh is ever enjoyable to all. This is a land of tourists, researchers and wildlife and nature lovers. Indeed Bangladesh is a land where `There are a thousand doors to enter, not a single to leave’.

The writer is Information Officer, Press Information Department (PID)