Tourism Development Agendas in Bangladesh: Exploring Some Policy Considerations

Tourism as a promising economic sector has gained acceptance globally and endorsed increasingly by apex international organizations such as the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). Representing the developing world, Bangladesh has a range of tourism resources to attract tourists to contribute to the overall economy. However, the development of this sector within the country is still at its early stage. Accordingly, the country is failing to receive the utmost value from tourism sector. This chapter aims to outline a number of suggestions to develop tourism sector in the context of Bangladesh. In doing so, qualitative research approach has been employed. The data collection strategy encompasses both primary and secondary techniques. The primary technique mainly involves securing opinions from industry experts while the secondary techniques cover reviewing a wide range of published and unpublished materials. This paper identifies a number of issues to be addressed to realize the potential of tourism sector in Bangladesh. These issues include formulation and implementation of tourism friendly master plan, creation of tourism quality assurance cell, development of tourists’ facilities and necessary infrastructures, coordination among key stakeholders, proper marketing and promotional campaign, allocation of adequate budget, invitation of foreign investments, and awareness creation to upgrade tourism from the existing condition. This study is believed to be helpful for tourism policymakers and researchers in Bangladesh.