DHAKA: The tourism sector of the country has suffered due to lacking infrastructure and transportation system. The absence of government steps in tourism sector leaving the many ancient heritage and regions of scenic natural beauty underdeveloped.
Many historical places are linked with narrow and poor roads so that the tourists are loosing interest in visiting and enjoying new and newer places.
Kantaji Temple in Dinajpur and Sompur Buddhist Bihar at Paharpur are two historical places where a plenty of tourists from home and abroad visit every year despite immense sufferings.
The communication system is very poor so that any bus or large vehicle can hardly reach the places. half the country's 21,000km roads and highways in appalling conditions.
Chairman of Tourism and Hospitality Department of Dhaka University and member of Bangladesh Tourism Board, Professor Majib Uddin Ahmed assumes that the government should come forward only for infrastructural development work.
Then rest of the operational tasks as setting up hotels, motels will be done by entrepreneurs. Tourists will rush, he added.
He also mentioned many obstacles in tourism sector but highlighted many potentialities in the tourism sector.
Another tourism expert and editor of fortnightly tourism newspaper Bangladesh Monitor Kazi Wahidul Islam said that all sorts of communications in the country should be highly developed and upgraded.
Director of Tour Operators Association of Bangladesh (TOAB) and Managing Director of Bengal Tours Limited Masud Hossain said that the infrastructural development of the country is not up to the satisfactory level.
Because of the poor communication management it takes long time to reach the historical places. As the roads are in appalling conditions so many tourists prefer expensive airways which is another barrier in this field, he added.
He also claimed that the local airways are taking double fare of the standard fare but providing very poor services in return.
However, experts deem that there is a plenty of opportunities in this field so that the country will be enriched financially.
BDST: 1321 HRS, MAY 25, 2014
