Neglected Potential of Tourism in Bangladesh

    In a world economy plagued by recession, in magnitudes unseen since the 1930s, it has been a pleasant surprise to witness the global tourist industry demonstrating a resilience unheard of in most other sectors. Tourist numbers throughout the world has continued to increase, while companies and even continued to increasem while companies and even countries that are associated with the sector have been cushioned from the global economic downturn, thanks to incoming revenues from tourism. With these facts in mind, one has little choice but to despair when looking at the state of tourism in our country. Our domestic tourism sector has remained in near stagnation for the 40 years of the history of Bangladesh, as subsequent government have shown repeated inaction when it comes to developing the industry. Meanwhile we have watched our neighbours race ahead of us in this regard.We like to hope that the reason for such inaction is, yet again, the same old malady of not knowing better-because such a cause definitely has a remedy. We have tried, with this supplement , to bring forth such realisations, in hopes of bringing about a much needed change. For us to be able realise our full potential as a nation in this global industry, we must first assess what it is possible to achieve. Then only can we begin to reap the benefits from it to ultimately pave a path for the overall development of Bangladesh.
     It cannot be stressed enough also that any development of the tourism sector in Bangladesh must follow a carefully designed long-term plan that ensures that the development is sustainable. The development path must make sure that the historical and natural beauties of our land, which attract tourists in the first place, are protected from the population pressures of tourism. There are proven examples of such ecological tourism development around the world . We have to remember that we have only one Sundarban, only one Cox's Bazar, only one Saint Martins and only one Mainamati. We are obligated, as a nation , to protect our natural and cultural resources as we develop the tourism sector for the future.