Amid the dollar crisis and government austerity measures, when it is imperative to show the country’s tourism potential on global media, experts and industry insiders recommend leveraging the advantages of international social media influencers.
Toufiq Rahman, chief executive officer at Journey Plus, told Bangladesh Post, “We have a lot of scopes to work with foreign travel vloggers. If we know in advance where their interests are, we can help them in that way. For example, we have Cox’s Bazar, Bandarban, and Sundarbans for sea, mountains, wildlife visit respectively. Similarly, we have heritage, culture, religious attractions and many more.”
“Their promotions come at minimal cost to us, but its impact is significant,” he added.
Recent social media videos suggest that Bangladesh has drawn the attention of foreign travel vloggers to its diverse landscapes and cultural richness. Through their platforms on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, these vloggers are introducing millions of viewers to the beauty of Bangladesh.
CEO of Bizcon Holidays Ltd Md Taslim Amin (Shovon) told Bangladesh Post, “It will definitely work as magnet to attract other
foreign travelers to our country. Promoting Bangladesh through their lenses can give us good feedback which has been observed in recent times.”
He also suggested keeping regular communication with all foreign embassies and let them know about the country’s different events so that they can also promote our tourism potential.
Renowned foreign vloggers who have visited Bangladesh include Doug Barnard, Mark Wiens, Dawood Kim, Khalid Al Amiri, Michael and GG, Luke Demant, and Brent Timm. Their videos have garnered millions of views, contributing significantly to Bangladesh's silent branding on the global stage.
Through their contents, these vloggers are portraying Bangladesh's natural beauty, cultural heritage, and warm hospitality. As a result, Bangladesh's unique characteristics are reaching audience worldwide, attracting more foreign vloggers to explore the country's hidden gems.
Both Rahman and Amin believe that guiding vloggers to the country’s key tourist sites, global branding efforts can reach new heights. Relying solely on international TV channels for branding instead leveraging the reach of foreign vloggers can raise awareness about Bangladesh, they added.
Davud Akhundzada, Sun Kissed Bucket List, Doug Barnard, Harry Jaggard, and Carrie Patsalis also toured the country till August last year.
Their videos about Bangladesh on social media show that Davud Akhundzada has 4,237,665 views through his 24 videos, Sun Kissed Bucket List has 1,802,761 views through his 29 videos, Doug Barnard has 6,560,929 views through his 12 videos, Harry Jaggard has 8,949,699 views through his 13 videos, and Carrie Patsalis has 3,267,791 views for her 55 videos.
