BBS Survey
Country attracted 8.92 lakh int’l tourists in FY12
The country attracted 8.92 lakh international tourists including foreigners and non-resident Bangladeshis in the fiscal year of 2011-2012 while 14.59 lakh people went abroad for tourism purpose, according to a survey conducted by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics.
In the same year, more than 42 lakh people travelled across the country as domestic tourists and 16.58 per cent households hosted at least one domestic tourist in the year, the survey report revealed on Monday showed.
According to the survey titled Tourism Satellite Accounts-2011-2012, an inbound tourist on an average spent Tk 86,812 a trip and the expenditure of a domestic tourist was Tk 9,652 a trip.
In the year, tourism industries including accommodation, food, transport, travel agencies and entertainment services directly contributed Tk 16,409 crore or 1.56 per cent to the gross domestic product.
In the FY 2011-2012, the size of GDP was Tk 10,50,204 crore.
The overall contribution of tourism-related industries to the GDP was Tk 65,648 crore or 6.25 per cent, the survey said.
The BBS conducted the survey through outsourcing and DPC Group of Consultants, a private firm, carried out the survey.
DPC Group of Consultants chief Matiur Rahman, also a professor at the statistics department of Dhaka University, presented the key findings of the survey at a programme organised by the BBS at its conference room in the capital.
The programme was presided over by Statistics and Informatics Division secretary Suraiya Begum.
BBS director general GM Kamal attended the programme, among others.
According to the survey findings, 25.50 per cent households having domestic tourists were from the urban areas while 13.48 per cent households from the rural areas.
Domestic tourists mostly travelled for business, leisure and treatment purposes.
Out of 8.92 lakh inbound tourists, 5.73 lakh were foreigners and 3.19 lakh were NRBs.
The survey found that a foreign tourist on an average spent Tk 91,210 a trip while a NRB spent Tk 78,912 a trip.
An outbound tourist spent on an average Tk 1.55 lakh a trip abroad.
The survey was conducted between May 2013 and June 2013 on 3,760 households, 150 establishments and 1,241 inbound and outbound visitors.
Data also collected from Special Branch of Bangladesh Police, Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation, World Travel and Tourism Council.
-With New Age input
