Minister explores Tanguar Haor without protocol

State Minister for Road Transport and Bridges and Railways Habibur Rashid Habib spent two days exploring Sunamganj’s Tanguar Haor with his school and college friends, travelling without official protocol or VIP arrangements.

The minister visited the wetland on Friday and Saturday, travelling by houseboat and taking part in activities alongside ordinary tourists.

His low-key visit has drawn praise from tourism entrepreneurs and visitors, with local operators describing it as a positive example of public figures experiencing Bangladesh’s growing nature tourism destinations without elaborate security arrangements.

During the trip, Rashid visited Shahid Siraj Lake, also known as Niladri Lake, Shimul Bagan and the Jadukata River. He also visited the Lakmachhara area and spoke with members of the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) stationed along the frontier.

He interacted with tourists and local residents and posed for photographs with them. He also went swimming in the Jadukata River with his friends.

Tourism entrepreneur Iftekhar Hamid, owner of the Atlantis and Falcon houseboats, shared details of the visit on Facebook.

He said the minister travelled with friends from the Motijheel Ideal School 1988 batch and Notre Dame College 1990 batch. The group booked a houseboat without initially informing the operator that a state minister would be among the passengers.

“One of the friends made the booking but did not tell us that a state minister was joining the trip. He came simply as a friend from the 1988 batch, without highlighting his official identity,” Hamid said in his Facebook post.

According to Hamid, the minister visited Lakmachhara on Friday evening and checked on BGB personnel serving along the border. On Saturday morning, he and his friends visited Shahid Siraj Lake, where he interacted with fellow tourists.

“He travelled to the haor without any kind of protocol,” Hamid said. “Even our houseboat team did not know beforehand that the minister would be coming.”

The minister had also visited Tanguar Haor on the same houseboat last year with political friends, Hamid said. This year, however, he chose to make the trip with his former school friends.

Hamid described the minister as cheerful and relaxed throughout the trip, saying his informal presence created a positive impression among tourists and tourism operators.

The Houseboat Owners Association of Bangladesh also posted photographs of the minister and his friends on its Facebook page, praising the visit under the headline “A simple-hearted man and the charm of Tanguar Haor”.

The association said the minister travelled without additional protocol or the usual trappings of VIP security and spent time on the houseboat and in the wetland like an ordinary tourist.

The association urged ministers, lawmakers, public figures and celebrities to visit Tanguar Haor and experience its natural beauty, saying their presence could help promote the destination while supporting local, environmentally responsible tourism.

“Tanguar Haor has enormous potential as a sustainable and eco-friendly tourism destination,” the association said.

Hamid, who is also a member of the Houseboat Owners Association of Bangladesh and its former development secretary, told Jago News that the minister and his friends behaved like ordinary tourists throughout the trip.

“He travelled without any protocol, enjoyed the haor with his friends and paid the full amount for the houseboat as soon as they boarded,” Hamid said.

Tanguar Haor, one of Bangladesh’s most distinctive wetland destinations, attracts visitors for its open waterways, migratory birds, surrounding hills, rivers and seasonal landscapes. Houseboat tourism has become increasingly popular among domestic travellers seeking nature-based experiences in the region.

Tourism operators say visits by well-known public figures without elaborate official arrangements can help showcase destinations such as Tanguar Haor as accessible leisure and nature tourism spots.

For the local tourism industry, the minister’s informal trip offered something beyond publicity: an example of how a high-profile visitor can experience the destination in much the same way as ordinary travellers.

As Bangladesh seeks to expand nature-based and community-focused tourism, such experiences could help strengthen the appeal of destinations beyond the country’s traditional tourist attractions.