Govt seeks stronger public-private tie-up for ecotourism

The government has called for stronger cooperation between the public and private sectors to promote ecotourism and establish Bangladesh as a global tourism hub.

Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Afroza Khanam made this call on Wednesday while addressing a seminar styled 'Promoting Ecotourism through Public-Private Partnership and Awareness' at Parjatan Bhaban in Agargaon. The seminar was organised by the Bangladesh Tourism Board.

The minister said Bangladesh has made limited progress in tourism development despite finishing 55 years of independence, but the government is working to set the country as a tourism hub in line with its election manifesto.

She urged all stakeholders to support the government’s efforts and said the ministry wants to hold monthly meetings with private-sector representatives to reduce information gaps and identify development priorities.

“We want to move forward with the cooperation of all stakeholders,” the minister said, stressing the need to assess priorities before undertaking development initiatives.

She said the government is considering developing tourism destinations around several villages, including Mitingachhari in Kaptai of Rangamati, Pankhali in Dacope of Khulna and Nafanagar in Bochaganj of Dinajpur, which are among the villages designated as SDG Villages.

The government also plans to identify tourism potential in all 64 districts and develop the sites into international-standard destinations, she added.

Tourism Secretary Fahmida Akhter said the government has already started work on a Tourism Satellite Account (TSA) to address information gaps in the sector.

She also said work was underway to formulate an ecotourism policy, noting that lack of coordination had previously slowed progress in the sector.

Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation Chairman Md Samimuzzaman and Bangladesh Tourism Board Chief Executive Officer (additional charge) Md Abdur Rauf also attended the seminar.

A keynote paper was presented by Dr Md Wasiul Islam, professor of the Forestry and Wood Technology Department at Khulna University.

The seminar discussed the importance and current state of ecotourism in Bangladesh, its challenges, development plans and measures needed to promote sustainable tourism.