A new approach needed to develop Bangladesh’s tourism sector

There should be no doubt, national as well as international; the Bangladesh tourism sector has indeed potential. This is the profound conviction of Majbritt Thomsen, a Danish expatriate with a MA in Tourism, two years of living and travelling in Bangladesh. In contact with a variety of people related to the Bangladeshi tourism sector, she has done a study on the potential of the national tourism. In her point of view, a major barrier to a positive development of the national tourism sector is the lack of a consistent strategy-based on cooperation, knowledge and sustainability.

She thinks, to take advantage of the Bangladeshi tourism potential, the right actions are needed from all players involved. Individual tourism providers must constantly increase their awareness on customer demands and travel trends to develop desired products. Furthermore, all players related to tourism must cooperate to diminish the general industry obstacles in areas of marketing, management, infrastructure, policy, safety, regulation, image, destination development, etc.

Last but not the least; the government must play an active role in tourism management, policy-making and decision-making, to promote growth that respects both business needs and the well-being of citizens, she opined.

The presence of tourism in any destination always brings with it environmental and socio-cultural as well as economic impacts. This is why tourism internationally is often praised as an effective development tool, especially in rural areas and the developing world. A sustainable tourism strategy would have a major positive impact on the Bangladesh society.

The challenges of the Bangladeshi tourism sector is by far unique, so why not be inspired by the success and experience of others, she asked.
Majbritt Thomsen observed that tourism has since the 1990s been a small but rapidly growing sector of the Bangladeshi economy. Nevertheless, Bangladesh is still one of the countries in the South Asian region with the least arrivals and the lowest revenue earned from the tourism industry.

She quoted from Lonely Planet in support of her view. Last year Lonely Planet, which is the absolute world leader of publishing travel guides and guidebooks, recommended Bangladesh as one of the top ten interesting travel destinations in 2009. The country introduction by Lonely Planet is unplayable in terms of national image branding:

Let’s get this straight from the start. Bangladesh is not a country of disappointment as portrayed in ‘Brick Lane’ or by the international media, nor is it merely the poorly endowed cousin of India. Instead Bangladesh is a revelation that actually leaves India looking a little worse for a wear. Any visitor who ventures here will return home with stories so improbable that claiming you have a pet unicorn is likely to be met with fewer disbelieving shakes of the head.