The government needs to act fast to ensure rapid growth in domestic tourism with better services and road communication, said an association of the tour operators yesterday.
“The number of domestic tourists is increasing at 10 percent a year. Now the government should provide them with better accommodation, security, transport and food,” said Hasan Mansur, president of Tour Operators Association of Bangladesh.
“We have a national policy, but the government should act fast to implement the guideline,” he added.
He spoke at a press conference at the National Press Club in Dhaka to announce the schedule of a three-day Bangladesh Travel and Tourism Fair 2012 on Thursday at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre.
Mansur also urged the government to set a guideline for the organisers of tourism fairs, which he said will create an impact on the overall tourism.
“Along with many other problems, we are now struggling with unplanned and untimely tourism fairs in the city. The government should have a clear guideline in this regard,” said
A total of 209 stalls from Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Malaysia, Greece, Sri Lanka and the Philippines will display their products and services at the show.
Tour operators, travel agents, hotels, airlines, resorts, guest houses, cruise operators, theme parks, transport operators, banks and insurance companies will take part in the fair.
The show will remain open for visitors from 10am to 8pm with an entry fee of Tk 30 per person.
During the fair, the association will also organise three seminars on business opportunities for micro-enterprises involved in natural tourism; the role of banks in developing tourism, and the role of foreign missions and their economic wings in developing tourism.
The City Bank and American Express are the title sponsors of the event.
At the press conference, Akhtaruzzaman Khan Kabir, the chief executive of Bangladesh Tourism Board, said the government is working to prepare a calendar, which will have details of all the annual tourism events.
Nazmul Karim Chowdhury, vice president and head of brands at The City Bank, also spoke.
-With The Daily Star input
