Lack of basic amenities drives away tourists

Lack of basic amenities in different tourist spots has set back the expansion of tourism in the country, experts said.

Most tourist destinations do not have adequate number of quality restaurants and hygienic toilets. Furthermore, road travellers have to struggle to find any modest facility of refreshment and restrooms during stopovers.

A few months back, a group of foreign tourists, including journalists, producers and bloggers, visited the country as part of a 10-day familiarisation tour organised by the Bangladesh Tourism Board (BTB).

At the end of the tour, they came up with an observation that the tourist spots and stopovers should have improved sanitation and toilet facilities.

They also suggested making available more communication materials on the historical and archaeological sites in the country.

They were of the view that Bangladesh needs to have more improved toilets and road networks than luxury hotels, as foreign tourists want to explore the country without much hassle.

Agreeing with their observations, experts and local tour operators stressed the need to invest in such facilities.

Some of them also added that tourism-related activities may be included in different big and medium development projects.

There should be stopover, toilet, restaurant and recreational facilities in the project areas or at the roadsides nearby, Chief Executive of Journey Plus Taufiq Rahman told the FE.

He suggested that the cultural ministry should provide such facilities in historical and archeological sites.

Talking to the FE, high officials of the civil aviation and tourism ministry claimed that they were trying to include tourism-related facilities in the new projects and some of the ongoing projects.

Economic analyst Faruq Mainuddin Ahmed said, "We do not want the government to build hotels and motels. Rather, it should provide support for the private investors in this sector."

How little the contribution of tourism sector to the country's economy is, it is mainly because of domestic tourists, he said.

"If the government wants to increase the contribution, they must ensure adequate facilities for tourists by creating better infrastructure and recreational facilities and improving services at the airport," he added.

Regarding tourist facilities in big infrastructure sites, Kazi Wahidul Alam, editor of Bangladesh Monitor, a fortnightly travel magazine, said some tourist facilities have been developed near the Jamuna Bridge in Tangail.

These facilities include two resorts where both domestic and foreign tourists can stay and the rail connectivity to the area is a big advantage for them, he added. "So, it is an attractive tourist spot near Dhaka."

Referring to the construction of mega infrastructure like Padma Bridge and Payra Port, the travel expert said: "These projects will definitely attract more domestic and international tourists. So, various tourist facilities should be created in those areas to tap the opportunity," he said.

Additional secretary of the civil aviation and tourism ministry Atiqul Haque said the ministry is trying to include tourist facilities in some big projects.

"The ministry has asked for land in a number of economic zones and Matarbari and Payra Port sites to create tourist facilities there," he said.

"And the government has already approved, in principle, allocation of 1000 acres of land near the Payra Port for tourist facilities," he added.

Chief Executive Officer of Bangladesh Tourism Board Bhuban Chandra Biswas said it is their slogan to include tourism in development projects.

"Whatever the project is, whether it is Padma Bridge or Dhaka-Cox's Bazar rail line, there will be influx of people," he told the FE.

"Every ministry must keep it in mind that whenever a project is implemented, people rush there. So, the visitors should be provided with food, recreation and toilet facilities," he added.

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