EcoTourism holds bright prospects

Bangladesh, endowed with vast natural assets and heritages, has a huge potential for eco- and rural tourism, said an analyst yesterday.Around 40-60 percent tourists are interested in nature and rural tourism. Bangladesh has huge prospects in this area, said Vinay Luthra, chief executive of Karnataka Ecotourism Development Board.

Luthra spoke at an international conference on tourism and hospitality in Bangladesh at The Westin Dhaka.Institute of Hotel Management and Hospitality Ltd and Trinity Communications organised the programme supported by six organisations, including The Daily Star.

Luthra said many foreigners visit Karnataka, Kerala and other states of India to explore natural beauties and rural areas there.Bangladesh has abundant attractions of tourism interests. The range of products it has includes cultural, natural and heritage assets, said Luthra, also additional principal conservator of Karnataka Forest Department, India.

"Focus on activity-based nature and rural tourism for international clients," he said, giving examples of such tourism.In Karnataka, international tourists are offered the opportunity of fishing and staying in tents, he said. Foreign tourists are also offered home-stays in villages in India, he said.

He, however, asked local tour operators to attract tourists from the Asian region, particularly from India and China.India receives six million international tourists a year. At the same time, tens of thousands go outside India for holidaymaking. China is another major exporter of tourists, he said.

"Target the Chinese and Indian tourists; don't spend your money by going to Europe to attract tourists from there. These people (from Europe and other developed countries) are fussy about hygiene and other things," he said.

But the Indians and Chinese are less fussy. They are more acquainted with the culture in this region, said Luthra.The tourism analyst made these suggestions at a time when contribution of tourism to Bangladesh economy and employment is making a rise.

Travel and tourism's direct contribution to GDP was Tk 18,250 crore in 2011. It is expected to increase by 6 percent annually to Tk 35,370 crore by 2022, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), a London-based institute.

Despite prospects, Bangladesh still remains at the bottom of the travel and tourism competitiveness index, prepared by World Economic Forum (WEF).The country has been ranked 129th out of 136 countries, according to Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report 2011.

In South Asia, Bangladesh's position is at the bottom compared with its neighbours India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Pakistan. India is ranked 68th, Sri Lanka 81st, Nepal 112th and Pakistan 125th.

In the Asia and Oceania region, Bangladesh ranks 24th -- just ahead of the laggard Timor-Leste, which ranks 25th in the regional ranking of the travel and tourism index, according to the WEF.

Bangladesh fares poor in infrastructure, ICT, air transport and connectivity. A lack of efficient human resources and skill is another reason, said Luthra, referring to the WEF report.

He said foreign tourists' flow in Bangladesh has increased but the receipts remain almost constant. It means Bangladesh receives mostly low-end tourists, he said.

AKM Bari, chairman of Industry Skills Council for Tourism and Hospitality Sector, said each Indian tourist spend at least $200 while travelling abroad.“If we can attract 5,000 Indian tourists a day, we can earn a huge amount,” he said.Bari said Bangladesh can also attract foreign tourists by offering river tourism.

Source - thedailystar.net