Policy support needed for more investment in tourism: Experts

The government needs to provide policy support including tax breaks to attract domestic and foreign investments for developing tourist spots across the country, said tourism experts.

Bangladesh is called the "Unique Delta of Seven Tourist Attractions (7TA)" and large investments are needed to develop the country's tourist attractions, said Abu Sufian, editor of travel magazine Vromon, at a seminar Wednesday.

The seven tourist attractions include river, sea, mountain, forest, history-heritage-culture, seasonal variation and hospitality. Having one of the seven attractions is good for tourism, two is better and more than that is the best. Bangladesh has all these seven attractions, he said at the seminar titled "Post-Covid-19 Tourism: Key Tools to achieve the SDGs in Bangladesh."

The theme of the tenth edition of the seminar, organised by the Social Development Foundation (SDF) under the Financial Institutions Division, Ministry of finance and Vromon, was  "Tourism: A Penalty Shoot for the Economy of Bangladesh."

Abu Sufian said Bangladesh aims to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. Out of the 17 SDGs, six are related to tourism. Currently, 23 ministries and 50 departments are working to implement SDGs in Bangladesh. The implementation of SDGs will be hindered if the tourism sector is not developed.

He said, "Maldives and Sri Lanka have advanced in tourism only because of the sea. We have to take measures like them."

"More than three million people travel abroad from Bangladesh every year. If they spend $100 on an average that would be $300 million. If our tourist spots are not developed, they will travel abroad more," he continued.

"There are 22 airports in our country. We are using seven of them, while cattle graze in the remaining 15 airports. We should renovate them," he added.

Urging the private sector to invest in the tourism sector, State Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism Md Mahbub Ali said, "An investment-friendly environment has been created in this sector. Investing here will be profitable."

He said, "Some incentives are needed in this sector. Investment is not coming to this sector due to excessive taxes. This was discussed in our ministry yesterday (20 December). There is a need to reduce taxes to increase investment. We are working on it."

Md Mokammel Hossain, secretary of the civil aviation and tourism ministry, said, "We have some problems related to infrastructure. A tourism master plan for infrastructure development is being developed. We have identified 1,051 tourist spots, 51 of which are being given importance. The master plan will be finalised next March."

The tourism sector accounts for 3.02% of Bangladesh's GDP, while globally this sector contributes 10.3% of the global GDP, he added.

Planning Minister M A Mannan said, "We have thousands of rule books, which hamper the investor's initiatives. So, our policy needs to be liberal."

Addressing the civil aviation and tourism ministry, he said a large number of local tourists visit Ratargul, Bichnakandi, Kuakata, and Tanguar Haor areas. Food and water supply for tourists, and places to change clothes after bathing are needed there.

"Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina gave directions to set up facilities to enable mothers to breastfeed their children at the tourist spots, but the civil aviation and tourism ministry has not taken any such project in more than three years since the direction was given," he said adding that "I urge you to come up with such projects. The government will provide money for their implementation."

Kamrun Naher Mustafa, a retired government official who is currently a professor at the Public Health Department of the University of South Carolina, said, "We who live abroad love to visit Bangladesh, but we are concerned about security. Along with that, one has to face many difficulties to travel around the country as the transportation system here is not developed."

Abdus Samad, former senior secretary and chairperson of Social Development Foundation (SDF) presided over the programme, where Habibur Rahman, additional inspector general of Bangladesh tourist police, among others, were present.