With impeccable natural beauty, thought provoking ancient relics and indomitable hospitality of the people, Bangladesh has blessed potentials to be an amazing tourist destination. Situated between India and Myanmar with the entire south edged by the Bay of Bengal, this south Asian country is criss-crossed by hundreds of rivers making it an interesting delta.
Sprawling green hills and valleys along with mangrove forests and long stretch of sandy sea beaches also add value to the spectacular natural beauty of this land. No wonder, this land attracted priests, traders and wanderers from different parts of the world since ancient period.
Bangladesh is a land of diversity. Its vast population of 160 million include Muslims, Hindus, Christians and Buddhists who live in absolute communal harmony. The widely varied religious stock has an impact on the cultural diversity making it colourful, interesting and lively.
There are over seven hundred spots of tourist interest in the country. These include nature driven ones like sea beach, green valleys, forests, archeological and historical sites, iconic religious places, cultural events and man made wonders. Thus Bangladesh is a unique tourist destination where one can find the scopes for all kinds of tourist interest.
Being the world's single largest mangrove forest, the Sundarbans is a pride for the country. Located about in south western edge of Bangladesh, it is now a hot spot for eco-tourism. Spread over an area of 6000 sq km of deltaic swamps, it is a sanctuary of hundreds of rare species. Most importantly, it is the home of the Royal Bengal Tiger. One would also find crocodile, monkeys, dolphin, spotted deer and several other interesting creatures. Criss-crossed by innumerable rivers and creeks, it is a wonderful repository of biodiversity. The Sundarbans is a World Heritage Site, declared by the UNESCO and has recently been shortlisted to be polled as a wonder of the world. Visiting the Sundarbans must be a memorable experience. While having the opportunities of seeing the rare wild animals and birds, one can also see how thousands of brave men and women engage themselves in fishing in the rivers and creeks and collecting honey from the depth of the forest.
Down in the south eastern tips the longest unbroken sea beach in Cox's Bazar attracts tens of thousands of visitors all year round. The calm blue water of the Bay of Bengal caress the 120 km long sandy beach that stretch along a range of picturesque green hills. Besides bathing and basking, one can also enjoy a variety of water sports like surfing, water skiing and other games. The site is fast becoming a popular spot for beach football and volleyball besides several cultural events. With hundreds of comfort ensuring hotels, tribal bazaars and imposing pagodas around, Cox's Bazar is often dubbed as the tourist capital of Bangladesh.
Another upcoming sea front tourist destination in the country is Kuakata. It is in the southernmost tips of the country from where one can have the rare opportunity of having glance of both the sunrise as well as the sunset.
The Hill districts in the south eastern region of the country commands an exotic view of natural beauty. Accessible by road from the port city of Chittagong, it is a tranquil heaven for nature lovers. Green hills and sprawling valleys are often dotted with waterfalls and small lakes. The unique lifestyle of the tribal people adds value to the romance of this paradise. With no sound and air pollution, these hilly districts can be the finest destinations for those wanting to get away from the time chasing modern urbanistic life and embrace a domain of tranquillity.
Up in the north eastern part of Bangladesh in the region of Sylhet, the sprawling tea gardens offer a panoramic view. It is like a green carpet rolled out for miles and miles. For centuries, these tea gardens have been producing tea. The plucking of tea leaves by thousands of women in the waist-level thick tea bushes itself is a spectacular view.
In the midst of the tea garden valleys, natural waterfalls make it more scenic. The Madhabkunda water fall is the most prominent one with tens of thousands of tourists visiting it every year.
Between Sylhet and Mymensingh in the north central part, huge water bodies dominate the landscape which offer another opportunity for nature adventurers. Known locally as haor, these water bodies turn to safe heavens for millions of cold escaping migratory birds coming from as far as Siberia. Tanguar haor situated in the district of Sunamganj is known to be the biggest single water body in Asia.
While natural beauty dominates the entire expanse of Bangladesh, thousands of ancient relics across the country hold truth of its interesting past. Some of these relics are several centuries old and relay the facts about the endeavours of religious preachers, business traders and ambitious rulers from all parts of the world.
Situated in north western part, Paharpur is well known for being a wonderful Buddhist archeological site. It was the largest monastery south of the Himalayas where Lord Buddha and his disciples were believed to have spent a long time in preaching. The excavated historical remains include grand quadrangular court with 177 rooms and a pyramidal cruciform temple. It is a World Heritage Site declared by UNESCO.
Not far from Paharpur, there is another archeological landmark in Mahastangarh. It is known to have been the biggest place of worship for hindu devotees. With imposing semi circle constructions and hand carved designs, the temples beside a river offer a spectacular view.
Mammoth Buddhist relics are also found in Mainamati near Comilla beside the Dhaka-Chittagong highway. Remains of a large Buddhist monastery with imposing central shrine speak of early Buddhist civilisation.
The Kantajee temple in Dinajpur in North West of Bangladesh is another must-see place. The age-old temple is iconic for delicate handwork on murals.
Bangladesh is often called a land of mosques. It is obvious that with an over eighty per cent of the 140 million people being Muslims, there will be innumerable mosques. However, many of the mosques are ancient and reflect the taste and savoury of the early Muslim preachers and rulers.
The Shatgombuz mosque in Bagerhat near Khulna is unique with its sixty domes. The Atia mosque in Tangail near Dhaka is still vibrant with its archaic designs. The Star mosque in the capital Dhaka shows the craze for beautification of holy places. The huge and magnificent national mosque - Baitul Mukarram- in the heart of Dhaka is an imposing architectural beauty.
Sonargaon, the ancient capital of this land, is not very far from the present capital. It beholds old palaces. A folklore museum situated in the area showcases the finest handicraft products made in this country.
To achieve a consistent success from the tourism industry, Bangladesh has taken some commendable initiatives including creation of tourist accommodation and amusement facilities. Government of Bangladesh has recognised tourism as an industry and put it on the list of thrust sector. A new National Tourism Policy has been framed this year 2010 for the development of sustainable tourism industry in Bangladesh. The policy underlines diversification of tourism products, development of eco-tourism, overseas marketing of tourism attractions and human resource development. The Industrial Policy of 2005 has included tourism as a thrust sector. The government has also enacted 'Tourism Protected Area and Exclusive Tourist Zone' 2010. This will help attract foreign investments in these ETZs.
The government is committed to extend unflinching co-operation to the private sector for the promotion of tourism industry in Bangladesh. We are also considering implementation of some tourism projects under the government new concept Public-Private Partnership (PPP) system. Foreign investors are also most welcome to invest in this sector. In order to encourage private and foreign investment the government is offering various incentives.
The government of Bangladesh provides trainings to the educated youths of the country so that these young people can enter into tourism industry as trained up human resources. The govt. run National Hotel and Tourism Training Institute (NHTTI) until now has provided training to as many as 30,000 students in different disciplines like - Food and Beverage Production, Food and Beverage Services, House-keeping and Laundry, Front Office and Secretarial, Travel and Tour Operations and 2- year Diploma in Hotel Management and 1-year Diploma in Tourism Management. These trained up people are serving better in the tourism industry at home and abroad. Apart from these, many private tourism training institutes are also providing training and send the trained up people abroad and thus bring in foreign remittance to Bangladesh.
Bangladesh is a land of many wonders. With a rich history, diversified culture and impeccable natural beauty, it deserves to be visited again and again. Along with the hospitality of the people, there are all necessary facilities available to make the travel across Bangladesh a memorable one. The national tourism organisation - Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation - and plenty of private tour operators wait to serve you.
As Bangladesh is a young destination in the world tourism map and its attractions are still less trodden, it possesses a great potential to attract tourists from the world. It is striving hard to develop a planned and controlled tourism industry by maintaining quality and standard of tourism products and services. Bangladesh is always ready to welcome tourists in this land of virgin lush green and ancient civilisation.
[The writer is Chairman (Additional Secretary) Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation (Government Tourism Organisation)]
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