Bangladesh’s first tourism master plan has not yet been formulated three months after deadline.
Last year, State Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism, Md Mahbub Ali, said that the tourism master plan will be completed by December 2022.
“The formulation of the master plan will be completed in December this year and through its implementation, the country’s tourism sector will enter a new era,” he said on October 5, 2022, while speaking at a program on the occasion of World Tourism Day.
As of April 2023, the tourism master plan, however, is yet to be finalized.
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According to civil aviation and tourism ministry sources, the draft of the master plan is ready. It will be finalized once the stakeholders have given their approval.
Kazi Wahidul Alam, editor of the Bangladesh Monitor (a travel trade publication), urged to form the master plan promptly and said, “Only building infrastructure isn’t enough for tourism development. A masterplan should be implemented soon.”
“Issues like visa complication need to be addressed in the master plan,” he said.
Shiblul Azam Koreshi, president of Tour Operators Association of Bangladesh (TOAB), said there is no timely tourism development plan like in other countries.
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“The tourism industry operates in a bureaucratic and chaotic manner. There are no tourism professionals in government-related institutions,” he said.
He called for expanding visa-on-arrival for tourists.
Toufiq Rahman, secretary general of Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), asked for better inter-ministerial coordination.
State Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism Md Mahbub Ali told UNB that the master plan will be implemented soon.
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“We are taking stakeholders’ feedback. It will be finalized once we are done adjusting their suggestions,” he said.
“If the tourism master plan is implemented, it will contribute 10 percent to the GDP,” he claimed.
“We are considering appointing one of the five additional district commissioners in each district to oversee the tourism sector,” he said.
He also stated that the government is working to make the visa application process easier for tourists.
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Bangladesh Tourism Board has signed a 30-year master plan agreement with the international consulting firm IPE Global to develop the country’s tourism sector. The master plan’s development began on January 1, 2020, and was to be completed by June 30, 2020.
However, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, it was not completed on time and was postponed until December 2022. The total contract value, including VAT and AIT, is approximately Tk 28 crore 66 lakh.