Sustainability of Tourism Industry: Bangladesh Perspective.

MOHAMMAD SHAMSUDDOHA
Assistant Professor
Department of Marketing, University of Chittagong
Chittagong, Bangladesh.
E-mail: shipul1@hotmail.com, shipul@bttb.net.bd

Abstract:
Bangladesh as a vacationland has many facets. Her tourist attractions include archeological sites, historic mosques
and monuments, resorts, beaches, picnic spots, forest and wildlife. Bangladesh is a riverine country having attractive
panoramic beauty. There are hills, vales, deep and mangrove forests, rivers and the longest beach in the world. In this
country, the scope of nature based tourism, research based tourism, culture based tourism and eco-tourism is quite
evident. In Bangladesh, prospective areas are present, minimum infra-structural arrangement is developing, role of
government is now positive, private and public organizations have come forward side by side to attract the local and
foreign tourists, researchers, dignitaries and foreign delegates. Having all the minimum requirements, the tourism
industry could not develop adequately. The cracks of problem could not identify accurately because of paucity of
sufficient number of research and investigations in our country. Out of different problems, the researchers have
concentrated their focus to human resource development aspect for tourism sector in Bangladesh. It is due to low
literacy rate of general people, they cannot communicate with the domestic and foreign tourists significantly. So, the
tourists felt discourage to visit repeatedly to the tourist spots. It is not possible to increase literacy rate dramatically to
develop communicative skill of mass people. The researchers feel that a group of personnel could be developed on an
emergency basis to face the immense need of the tourism industry in Bangladesh. Presently, specialized formal
education like bachelor’s degree, under graduate degree or postgraduate degrees are not available in universities of
Bangladesh on tourism. No specialized training program is being found to develop skilled personnel in this regard. In
some International Hotels, Parjatan Corporation and at private level tourist agencies very limited scope of on the job
training has been developed. This study will facilitate the decision makers to assess the intensity of the problem and to
plan accurate measures to train and develop a good number of manpower for facing the current need readily. This
could benefit the tourism industry in multiple ways. This could change the economic picture of tourism sector and
contribute a big share in the GDP of Bangladesh.

Keywords: Tourism, Development, Marketing

Introduction
During the post-Second World War era, tourism demand has rapidly increased and tourism has become a worldwide
phenomenon. Not surprisingly, this post-war boom has drawn the attention of many developing countries, and tourism
as one of the growing industries of the world economy has enticed many entrepreneurs and governments of various
countries to invest in the tourism industry without proper planning and preparation (Cevat Tosun and Dallen J. Timothy,
2001). Tourism is not associated with aristocracy. Today even ordinary persons can afford. With the passage of time, the
tourism has become almost a part of our normal life. In the background of its growing popularity, tourism has become a
mass phenomenon. It has grown to such dimensions that we consider it an important industry. Tourism planning has been
defined as a process based on research and evaluation, which seeks to optimize the potential contribution of tourism to
human welfare and environmental quality (Tosun and Jenkins, 1998). Thus, tourism planning should relate tourism
development to the more equitable distribution of wealth that is one of the main aims of national development planning.
In this respect, tourism planning is a component of national development planning and strategy. Moreover, it includes a
decision -making process between the tourism industry and other sectors of the economy, between various sub-national
areas and between types of tourism. It requires the integration of the tourism industry into other sectors such as
agriculture, industry, transportation and social services (Timothy, 1999 Further, it is an effort to make possible harmony
between the social interests and interests of tourist organizations. It is an approach to promote business, which feeds the
organizations the necessary information for farming or revamping the marketing decisions. The tourisms marketing is thus
promotion or sales based on research on what are to be sold in the market. Dependence on laurels is not possible in the
tourism marketing since the taste preferences of users change very firstly.

Rationale of the study

Bangladesh is trying to develop her tourism status to compete in local and global market. Tourism is one of the main
root of developing the country’s economy and as well as skilled professional human resource. Governmental and non-
Governmental institutes can keep such a vital role by giving emphasis on tourism marketing. Bangladesh need s to
develop its human resources for improving tourism marketing in local tourists as well as foreign tourist.. In Bangladesh,
tourism has lot of potentiality to earn more revenue than presently what they are earning. If Govt. and Non -government
organization come forward and take the responsibility for developing tourism industry, it will earn much more revenue
and create lots of employment as well. There has no plethora research work on tourism in Bangladesh perspectives.
This research will add some value and fill up the gap that motivated the authors to undertake such a study

Objectives of the study

In the light of development of tourism industry in Bangladesh particularly, the main objectives of the study are-
1. To find out the present status of tourism industry in Bangladesh.
2. To explore the potential tourist spot in Bangladesh.
3. To give some recommendation for the development of tourist industry in Bangladesh.

Scope and Methodologies of the study

The study covered various Government and non-government who are acting vital role in developing tourism industry
Situated mainly capital Dhaka and commercial capital city Chittagong in Bangladesh. Necessary information and data
were collected from sample respondents through the direct interview method by using structured questionnair e. In
addition, review all the tourism related websites for updated information. So many respondents were interviewed during
the study period. Other hand, the researcher also reviews several foreign and local research works as well in this field.

Limitations of the study

The study covered very limited number of sample organization in respect of its real scope all over the country. There is
no plethora of research work in this field. Sometimes responded were not interested to express to their honest opinion.
To overcome these limitations, an intensive study of existing literature in this field, foreign journal, relevant publication
by Government and other private agencies were studied. This is fully self-financed research work that is why the
researcher could not able to cover wider area.

Analysis of Findings
The conceptual exposition appears essential to study tourism marketing. The marketing experts opine that tourism
marketing is the systemic and coordinated efforts to optimize the satisfaction of tourism .The thing here are concerned
with making available to the tourist organizations. The tourism marketing is also supposed to be a device to make a
possible reorientation in the business policy and overhaul in the management concept. Tourism marketing is an
integrated effort to satisfy tourists by making available to them the best possible services. It is a device to transform the
potential tourists into actual tourists. It is the safest way to generate demand and expand market. Further, it is an effort
to make possible harmony between the social interests and interests of tourist organizations. It is an approach to
promote business, which feeds the organizations the necessary information for farming or revamping the marketing
decisions. The tourisms marketing is thus promotion or sales based on research on what are to be sold in the market.
Dependence on laurels is not possible in the tourism marketing since the taste preferences of users change very firstly in
Bangladesh.

The users of Tourism Services

There are several users of tourist like rural tourists, urban tourists and international tourists. For the successful execution
of marketing strategies for translating the strategies in to meaningful purposes, it is essential to have a detailed
knowledge of users of services. Tourists coming from the rural areas are rural tourists whereas the tourists coming from
urban areas are urban tourists.
The users

Domestic Foreign

Rural Urban

Literate/ Illiterate Literate/ Illiterate

Rich / Poor Rich / Poor

or
[Source: BPC Officials ]
Classification of Tourists
According to a sample survey, the tourists arrival are classified in the following categories: 17%
A. Business  42% B. Pleasure  23% 18% Business

C. Official  18% D. Others  17% Pleasure

Official
42%
Figure: Shows the Arrival of Tourists 23%
Others
[Source: BPC]
Institutional Framework

The National Tourism Organization

The principal channel of Government involvement in the tourism sector is the national tourism organization,
Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation, which is a semi autonomous government agency reporting to the Ministry of civil
Aviation and Tourism as its administrative Ministry. Importantly, the national airline Biman Bangladesh Airlines, forms
a separate division within the same Ministry, which allows integration and of tourism initiatives. Many of BPC’s
managerial matters are handling through the national Tourism Facilitation committee headed by the secretary of the
ministry of Aviation and Tourism. BPC was created on the 27th November 1972 by order of the Government of the
People’s Republic of Bangladesh and commenced business in January 1973. It was established as a Corporation under
the laws of the country with an authorized capital of Tk one crore (roughly US$ 1.3 million then) and initial share
capital of Tk five lakhs (roughly US$ 65,000 then). Under the law, additional loan or equity capital could be raised for
carrying out the functions of the Corporation with government approval. It was evidently the intention of the drafters of
the Order that BPC should be an autonomous corporation responsible to its shareholders as would be any other
corporate entity in the country.

Government Investment in Tourism

Despite the low priority given by the Government to tourism at a national level there have been some important
investments in both Parjatan and Biman.
(A) Government investment in BPC
The audited, consolidated balance sheet of the Corporation as at 30 June 1984 (the latest available at the time of
preparation of the master plan report) shows total government investment of over Tk 20 crore. That amount, equivalent
to us$ 6.7 million was composed of fully paid capital of Tk 345 lakhs (us$ 1.15 million), grants Tk 281 lakhs (us$ 0.93
million), and loans Tk 14.4 crore (us$ 4.82 million). Of the total investment at the balance sheet date, net assets account
for Tk 13.9 crore (us$ 4.62 million) and operating losses (including depreciation) for Tk 9.2 crore (us$ 3.07 million).
The operating losses occurred in the years from 1972 to 1983 and have been partially offset by profits since then.
(B) Government investment in Biman Bangladesh airlines
The government as sole stockholder in Biman was not primarily making an investment in tourism but in an airline with
potential to become an important contributor tourist flows. Substantial levels of investment have taken place both in
Biman and in the rehabilitation and development of domestic airports. In TFYP, for example an allocation is made to
Biman of Tk 140 crore (us$ 47 million), and to domestic airport development to Tk 70 crore (us$ 23 million), for
improvements at Sylhet and Chittagong and for further capital works at Zia international Airport in Dhaka. Such
investments are supportive to tourism development aspirations particularly those investments in the national carrier
although clearly the investments have wider implications than for tourism alone.

Private Investment in Tourism

A range of concessionary investment incentives are offered to the private sector in tourism activities, in line with other
special capital depreciation regu lations, etc. In addition, the tourism sector receives significant loan finance from the
commercial banks. The starting date for the period of income tax exemption for companies in the tourism sector has
been extended to June 1990. The period of exemption varies with the district in which the activity is arrived on and
portions of the profits must be reinvested in the activity or in government bonds. Recent private sector investment
initiatives appear limited to Dhaka, however. The primary reasons for this would appear to be demand deficiency rather
than any institutional constraints. One of the examples of private investment in tourism is Fantasy Kingdom.
Manpower Development and Training
It has been recognized by BPC that the Corporation is short of professional staff in its hotel operations division
particularly and that the development of tourism in Bangladesh will require training of management cadres. In order to
establish and develop a professional training programme within the tourism industry in Bangladesh, BPC established
the Hotel and Tourism Training Institute (HTTI), which was jointly funded in 1978 by the Government of Bangladesh
and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) with the International Labor Organization (ILO) as executing
agency. The first phase of the project finished in 1983 and the second phase commenced in February 1986. The Institute
and the hotel are housed in purpose-built facilities having, in addition to 20 bedrooms and usual hotel facilities,
classroom areas, a training restaurant, training and demonstration kitchens, a front office reception area, a conference
room, offices and administrative areas. The ILO, besides helping the Government to develop the hospitality industry, is
also helping to develop human resources by providing in-depth training programmes. The full-time courses, supervised
by international experts and consultants, cover the following specializations:
Ø Hotel and Restaurant Kitchen Training Ø Housekeeping Operations
Ø Restaurant Service Ø Tourist Guides
Ø Front Office and Secretarial Ø Tour Operation and Travel Agencies.
Ø Bakery, Pastry and Confectionery
There will also be part-time of day-release courses in various aspects of the industry, according to identified needs, such
as:
Ø Hygiene and Sanitation for Food Handlers Ø Communications and Social Skills
Ø Short on-the-job Instructor Training Courses Ø Short courses in different aspects of catering for non-
professionals.
A serious difficulty is the low level of foreign langrage skills of rank and file employees that make the inclusion of the
proposed language laboratory a desirable priority. Other UNDP projects for tourism sector training will also be of
assistance to Bangladesh in meeting its training needs. One project for training in tourism planning for South Asia has
resulted in conclusions and recommendations that include:
Ø One-year scholarships, to be given for overseas training at university graduate level.
Ø The development of a series of three six-week regional training courses.
The courses would cover a var iety of topics including statistical data collection, techniques and principles of detailed
planning of resorts, and standards of control of environmental and social impact.
A programme for regional cooperation in tourism training that is planned for 1988 would cover a number of conceptual
matters as well as specialized training. Among the topics slated for attention are:
Ø Multi destination holiday packaging Ø Budgetary and financial management including
Ø Development of market identity hotel accounting
Ø Creation of job titles for sector personnel to Ø Tour operator and ground handling courses.
replace the currently used civil service names Ø Improvement of staff attitudes and capability
Objectives Of Tourism Development in Bangladesh
The objectives and perceived benefits of tourism for Bangladesh are specific. They are:
Ø To improve the balance of payments and to reverse negative flow in the tourism sector;
Ø To provide employment;
Ø To capitalize on the investment already made in airports, the nationals airline, in transport and accommodation;
Ø To enhance the image of the country in the eyes of the world;
Ø To reinforce and protect the culture of the country;
Ø To expose its people to world movements, the stimulation provided by other cultures and enhances their
employment p otential abroad;
Ø To enable its people to share in the enjoyment of facilities and amenities that would be created for international
tourism purposes and that would provide a base for growth in domestic tourism.

Explore the Place of Tourist attraction

Ther e are so many place which is enrich for tourism. The researcher mentioned some of as follows:-
Chittagong: Chittagong, the second largest city of Bangladesh and a busy international seaport, is an ideal vacation
spot. Its green hills and forests, its broad sandy beaches and its fine cool climate always attract the holiday-markers.
Described by the Chinese traveler poet, Huen Tsang (7th century A.D) as "a sleeping beauty emerging from mists and
water" and given the title of "Porto Grande" by the 16th century Portuguese seafarers. It combines the busy hum of an
active seaport with the shooting quiet of a charming hill town. Besides, the longest sea-beach, Cox's Bazar and its
adjoing areas hav e a lot of things to see and places deserve visit by the tourists are Tomb of Sultan Bayazid Bostami,
World War II Cemetery , Shrine of Shah Amanat, Court Building Museum, Foy's Lake (Pahartali Lake), Mercantile
Marine Academy at Juldia, Patenga and Fouzdarhat Sea Beaches, Port Area, Ethnological Museum, Zia Museum,
Sitakunda, Kaptai lake,
Cox's Bazar: Cox's Bazar beach Miles of golden sands, towering cliffs, surfing waves, rare conch shells, colorful
pagodas, Buddhist temples and tribes, delightful sea-food--this is Cox's Bazar, the tourist capital of Bangladesh. Having
the world's longest (120 kilometers.) beach sloping gently down to the blue waters of the Bay of Bengal, Cox's Bazar is
one of the most attractive tourist sport in the country. Located at a distance of 152 km. south of Chittagong, the leading
seaport of Bangladesh, Cox's Bazar is connected both by air and road from Dhaka and Chittagong. Besides, the longest
sea-beach, Cox's Bazar and its adjoing areas have a lot of things to see and places deserve visit by the tourists like The
Aggameda Khyang, Cox's Bazar, Himchari, Inani, Maheshkhali, Ramu,Sonadia Island, Teknaf etc.
Dhaka: The capital of Bangladesh is Dhaka with its exciting history and rich culture Known the world over as the city
of mosques and muslin. It has attracted travellers from far and near through ages. It has history dating (18th century),
Dhakeshwari Temple (llth Century), Ramkrishna Mission, Armenian Church (1781 A.D.) St.Mary's Cathedral at
Ramna, Lalbagh Fort, It was built in 1678 A.D. by Prince Mohammad Azam, son of Mughal emperor Aurangazeb,
National Memorial, Bahadur Shah Park, Bangabandhu Memorial Museum, Mukti back to earliest time. Seven domed
Mosque (17th century), Baitul Mukarram National Mosque, Star Mosque Juddha Museum, National Museum, Science
Museum, Ahsan Manzil Museum, Banga Bhaban, Bara Katra, Chota Katra, National Art Gallery, Suhrawardy Uddyan
(Garden), Balda Garden, Ramna Garden, National Park, Zoological Park, Curzon Hall, Botanical Park, High Court
Building, Dhaka Zoo, Central Shahid Minar, National Poet's Graveyard, Buddhist monastery, Sonargaon etc.
Kuakata: Kuakata, locally known as Sagar Kannya (Daughter of the Sea) is a rare scenic beauty spot on the
southernmost tip of Bangladesh. Kuakata in Latachapli union under Kalapara Police Station of Patuakhali district is
about 30 km in length and 6 km in breadth. It is 70 km from Patuakhali district headquarters and 320 km from Dhaka.
At Kuakata excellent combination of the picturesque natural beauty, sandy beach, blue sky, huge expanse of water of
the Bay and evergreen forest in really eye-catching.
Sundarban : In the south-western part of Bangladesh, in the district of greater Khulna, lies the Sundarbans, the
beautiful forest. It is a virgin forest which until recently owed nothing to human endeavour and yet nature has laid it out
with as much care as a planned pleasure ground. For miles and miles, the lofty treetops form an unbroken canopy, while
nearer the ground, works of high and ebb-tide marked on the soil and tree trunks and the many varieties of the natural
mangrove forest have much to offer to an inquisitive visitor. No wonder, you may come across a Royal Bengal Tiger
swimming across the streams or the crocodiles basking on the river banks.
Sylhet : Nestled in the picturesque Surma valley amidst scenic tea plantations and lush green tropical forests, it is a
prime attraction for all tourists. Its terraced tea ga rdens, eye soothing orange groves and pineapple plantations and hills
covered with tropical forests form a beautiful landscape. The Sylhet valley has a good number of haors, which are big
natural wetlands. During winter these haors are vast stretches of gr een land but in the rainy season they turn into
turbulent seas. These haors provide sanctuary to the millions of migratory birds that fly from Siberia across the
Himalayas to avoid the severe cold. Srimongal in Sylhet, known as the tea capital of Bangladesh, is the main tea center
in this region.
Besides that there are several place which might be treat as a tourist spot like Natore, Mainamati, Paharpur , Bogra etc.

Recommendation
There are so many problems, the researcher found regarding tourism in Bangladesh. The customers of tourism market
are price sensitive and want security in tourist place. To expand the market it is necessary to set competitive price.
¦ Develop the management education on tourism Marketing and prepare marketing or sales people to sell the product
properly to the right place in local and global perspectives as well.
¦ In order to strengthen the marketing department, a person should be appointed to look after policy matters and new
brand exclusively while the responsibility of that division should be in the hand of the marketing Director.
¦ Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation should create pressure on Govt. to implement her policy mor e strictly regarding the
quality of service. As a result private service provider will be able to face competition on an even ground.
¦ To deliver information to the foreign tourist through online or website and Information Technology is necessary to
research about new tourist spot.
¦ Private sector in this field should be encouraged by the BPC and as well as Government officials.

Final comments
Bangladesh is one of the third world countries having scarcity of his finance but they can increase their GDP through by
giving stress to the tourism industry. From overall point of view, Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation is a only one
government tourism service provider firm in Bangladesh, which practices modern marketing concept. But in some
sector they are lagging behind. There has a lot of opportunities to earn foreign and local revenue from this sector but
this sector is totally ignored. The researcher has put forward some recommendation. If BPC follows these
recommendations, in the long run, BPC will become revenue generating organization Bangladesh has a lot of potential
tourist spots but it should do find out the exposure. Otherwise, she cannot cash from this potential sector. And private
sector should encouraged by the government to work together for the sake of the development of tourism industry in
Bangladesh.

References
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Workshop on a Strategy for Tourism and Sustainable Development , Heritage Res ources Centre, University of
Waterloo, Waterloo, pp. 15-19.
2. Cevat Tosun and Dallen J. Timothy, International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management 13/7 [2001]
Page. 352.
3. Tosun, C. and Jenkins, C.L. (1998), ``The evolution of tourism planning in third world countries: a critique’’,
Progress in Tourism and Hospitality Research, Vol. 4 No. 2, pp. 101 -14.
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Tourism, Vol. 6 No. 1, pp. 52 -68.
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6. Principles of Marketing, Philip Kotler & Gray Armstrong, 7th Edition
7. Marketing Management, Philip Kotler, 9th Edition.
8. Website of Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation,UNDP, WTO, ILO
9. www.bangladeshonline.com
10. www.tourismindiaonline.com
11. www.tourismindia.com
12. www.bangladeshonline.com/tourism/spots