Young Abdur Razzak, a worker at a hospital, came and offered Thanh Hà, a Vietnamese tourist in Dhaka, two pieces of vegetable dumplings—”You are a guest to my country. It’s my pleasure to buy you breakfast. Take it, you will love our delicious dish,” he said. This is Bangladesh – we love to welcome the world with great heart! The people of the country are very warm, hospitable, and friendly towards its guests, which helps tourists navigate the country with greater ease.
By Ms. Tasnia Tasnim Hossain, International Relations (IR) Student at the Bangladesh University of Professionals (BUP), Dhaka, Bangladesh (a multiple award winner of “Model United Nations (MUN)” competition sessions)
Bangladesh sits in colourful South Asia, acting as a bridge between South Asia and Southeast Asia. The Himalayan Ranges lie further north of Bangladesh and the Bay of Bengal to the south, offering the largest naturally continuous sea beach. Bangladesh has a rich diversity of landscape, from mountains to beaches and rivers to forests. With its small landscape yet offering a diverse array of scenic beauty like beaches, lakes, rivers, hills, forests, wildlife, and tribal life, coupled with archaeological remains, historical monuments, religious and cultural heritages, and handicrafts, Bangladesh offers a complete package of tourist attractions. The memoir of ancient Moroccan traveller Ibn Battuta’s tour in ancient Bengal, commencing at Sudkawan (Chittagong) to his departure from Sunurkawan (Sonargoan) for Java (July – August 1346), further historically substantiates this supportive touristic summarisation.
AN ATTRACTIVE TOURISM DESTINATION
Bangladesh ensures decent offerings to all the globally expected 4 ‘A’s for tourism – Attraction, Accessibility, Accommodation, and Amenities. Travelling in Bangladesh can be exceptionally budget-friendly. Food, travel, accommodation costs are quite cheap when compared to similar global travel destinations, making it an ideal travel destination for a range of travelers. Bangladesh is exploring diverse options for tourism like – village tourism and blue tourism, offering satisfaction to all kinds of travelers. More so, with its tropical monsoon climate, Bangladesh is suitable for travelers to explore the tourist destinations almost year round.
While planning a tour in Bangladesh, one needs to consider timing, destinations, accommodation, and guides. It is wise to avoid public holidays and weekends to plan trips based on public transport like buses or trains. However, domestic flights may be available, which can connect one to the major cities.
Besides, the option for renting a car remains. For accommodations, one may choose between luxury hotels and guesthouses. One may also choose to experience village homestays to explore the rural landscape of the country. It is important to book in advance, especially if one plans on travelling during the peak season.
PICTURESQUE LOCATIONS
Bangladesh is beautiful, but to make the most out of one’s experience, it is best to hire a licensed tour guide, especially in historical and natural sites. Archaeological sites are impressive and scattered all over Bangladesh. Numerous such sites unveil a rich tapestry of historical monuments, mosques, temples, stupas, rajbaris (landlords’ palaces), and British-era buildings and offer rare glances into the rich past of our country and history to tourists as if they were back in old times through a time machine. The ruins of Paharpur or the 60 Domed Mosque of Bagerhat are a few among many to mention.
Cox’s Bazar is a town on the southeast coast of Bangladesh. It is known for its very long, naturally continuous and sandy beachfront. A combined or separate tour to the Saint Martin’s Islands far south, where a ship journey through the Bay of Bengal overlooking the beautiful hills of Myanmar accompanied by seagulls and a follow-on single/multiple-night stay on the island, would offer a lifetime episode. With a starting price of $60 for a day, it makes the trip a true bang-for-the-buck experience.
Houseboats were a symbol of luxury up until the 20th century. A houseboat tour at Tanguar Haor in the Sunamganj district of the Sylhet division, which takes different forms in each season, offers a once-in-a-lifetime unforgettable touristic experience. A 40-hour, such a houseboat trip on weekends and holidays will cost $50-60.
Tourists may experience an unforgettable 3-day, $500 premium tour package with rare practical insights of the Sundarbans – the largest mangrove forest in the world – and often lucky views of the Royal Bengal Tiger, deer and other wildlife.
The breathtaking beauty of the Chattogram Hill Tracts, with their eleven ethnic groups, such as Chakma, Marma, Tripura, Tanchangya, Lushai, Pankho, Bawm, Mro, Khyang, Khumi and Chak, offers their different, simple and colourful ways of life for the visitors.
Here, Sajek, known as the Queen of Hills, offers another breathtaking tour package amid a haven of clouds. Situated among the hills of the Kasalong range of mountains in the Rangamati District at 1,476 feet (450 m) above sea level, the Sajek tour offers a worthy night spent for visitors at roughly $100.
With its unique touristic attractions, Bangladesh continues to self-evolve with newer tourist prospects. The soul of Bangladesh lies in its villages! Villages here offer unmatched tranquillity and peace. Bangladeshi villages with their fields, homes, schools, mosques and temples offer a different experience to you than in a Bangladeshi city. A village homestay offers a cavernous understanding of Bangladeshi rural life. While sharing their hospitality, you will experience the daily village works around the house, fields, local school, river and lakes and might get lucky at catching fish from the local fishpond, all facilitated by the host communicating with the villagers. The two-night stay package includes transportation, meals, accommodation, a one-night hotel in Dhaka, and an English-speaking guide for around $350.
RICH CULINARY DELIGHT
Bangladesh, with its rich culinary history and vibrant food culture, offers a fusion of flavours and influences from its neighbouring countries and the Middle Eastern Muslim heritage, with a unique local touch. Very often Muslim travellers worldwide struggle with finding Halal foods and culturally appropriate places to explore. Bangladesh is a Muslim-majority country which helps Muslim travellers find halal foods at all places and explore environments that accommodate Islamic practices. This makes it an attractive destination for Muslim travellers.
Bangladesh’s tourism sector shows great promise as the domestic tourist numbers have surpassed 2 crores in 2022, while more than 5.29 lakh foreigners, including holidaymakers, visited Bangladesh in 2022. With such booming possibilities, the Bangladesh Tourism Board (BTB) planned for 10 development project proposals (DPPs) with an estimated $1.18 billion investment, mostly private, in the next 15 years.
To appeal to more foreign tourists, the Bangladesh government is increasing communication and coordination with the neighbouring countries and international tourism organisations, developing tourism products, simplifying visa processing procedures, and carrying out creative dynamic marketing. The foreign tourists can also plan for a regional tour plan involving Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Nepal and Bhutan – making the package comprehensive, appealing and economical.
More so, countries like the UAE or GCC countries would invariably find it favourable and beneficial to invest in the tourism sector in Bangladesh alongside private investors. That makes the scenario a win-win situation for the host country and the investors. With its unmatched natural beauty, cultural richness, and growing investment opportunities, Bangladesh is steadily emerging as one of South Asia’s most promising and rewarding travel and tourism destinations for global explorers and investors alike.
