The 2nd Asian Tourism Fair 2012 began on Friday in the capital, aiming at improving tourism linkage among the Asian countries.
Tour operators, travel agents, airlines, hotels and resorts of 10 Asian countries including the host, Bangladesh, are taking part in the three-day fair at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre.
The fair is a collaboration of Parjatan Bichitra and Industry Skill Council for Tourism and Hospitality with support from TVET reform project of ILO Dhaka, Bangladesh Tourism Board and Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation.
Around 120 stalls of local and foreign companies involved in tourism sector have been set up in the fair and they are offering package tour, hotel booking and special discount on sight seeing.
Addressing the inauguration, civil aviation and tourism minister Muhammad Faruk Khan said the sector in Bangladesh lagged behind owing to lack of necessary infrastructure and skilled manpower.
‘We strive to develop this sector. An instance of our efforts is the development activities taken up for Cox’s Bazar sea beach where we are trying to ensure all the international standard amenities for the tourists,’ he said.
The minister also said the Bangladesh Tourism Board would soon arrange a competition where participants would be asked to propose an icon that could adequately identify the country’s tourism.
The minister also mentioned that at present 12 universities are offering degrees on tourism and hospitality management.
A toolkit developed by the International Labour Organisation was also launched at the fair opening.
ILO country director Andre Bogui said the elaborate toolkit with around 300 pages was designed to strengthen capacities of the tourism stakeholders in terms of reducing poverty and developing a sustainable tourism industry.
Islami Bank Bangladesh Limited was the fair’s principal sponsor and Hotel Sea Palace its hotel partner, Sea Pearl resort Partner and United Airways airlines partner.
Civil aviation and tourism secretary Khurshed Alam Chowdhury, ambassadors and high commissioners from different countries to Bangladesh — Zet Mirzal Zainuddin from Indonesia, Nguyen Quang Thuc from Vietnam, HK Sharestha from Nepal, Bahnarim Abu Guinomla from the Philippines, Sarath K Weragoda from Sri Lanka, TVET reform project ILO Dhaka advisor Francis De Silva, Bangladesh Tourism Board chief executive officer Akhtaruzzaman Khan Kabir, Parjatan Bichitra editor Mohiuddin Helal, Ialami Bank Bangladesh Limited Chairman Abu Nasser Muhammad Abduz Zaher, Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation manager Parves Ahmed Chowdhury and ISC for Tourism and Hospitability chairman AKM Bari also spoke at the programme.
Besides cultural troupes from Bangladesh, artists from Indonesia, the Philippines and Sri Lanka will also perform in the cultural evening to be held at 6:00pm every day.
The fair will remain open from 11:00am to 7:00pm with the general entry fee Tk 20 and Tk 10 for students.
Courtesy of New Age
