The World Tourism Day to be celebrated in the country today like elsewhere in the world highlighting the country's various rich tourism products and services.
The government and different organisations have chalked out various programmes to celebrate the day with the global theme "Tourism and Green Investment".
Bangladesh Tourism Board (BTB) is going to organise a four day 'Bangladesh Festival' under its 'Mujib's Bangladesh' campaign to mark the World Tourism Day 2023 at the Bangabandhu International Conference Center (BICC) in the capital.
JatiyaSangsad Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury will inaugurate the festival.More than 160 organisations including 20 hotel resorts, 70 regional food stalls, 29 districts under district branding, 26 craft souvenirs, 2 airlines, amusement parks, travel agents, tour operators, tour guides, foreign embassies are participating in the Bangladesh Festival to showcase the country's tourism attractions.
"This festival will be a platform to showcase all untapped tourist attractions of Bangladesh to boost up the ongoing post-Covid recovery efforts of the country's tourism industry," said civil aviation and tourism secretary MdMokammel Hossain at a press conference on Monday.
Seminars will be held on tourist and tourist center safety, accommodation, aviation, employment opportunities in the tourism sector and women's participation in the tourism industry, archeology, food tourism, tourism and aviation journalism, and plastic free St. Martin.
Hossain said the ministry has a plan to organise such kind of event every year to celebrate World Tourism Day.
"Bangladesh Festival will help the visitors to make interesting tour plans. Besides, it will generate enthusiasm among tourism stakeholders, speed up the post-Covid tourism recovery and play a vital role in the tourism industry," he added.
BTB CEO Abu Tahir Muhammad Zaber said along with domestic tourists, the festival will also help to attract more foreign tourists in Bangladesh as different foreign missions stationed in Dhaka will also participate.
More than 70 traditional food stalls from 64 districts of the country will serve heritage food items like NaksiPitha, Haji Briyani, Bakorkhani, Chui Jhal and Kebabs in the event.
Besides, in the festival, the process of making 'Jamdani' will be demonstrated along with another Bangladesh's heritage fabric-Muslin making process.
The story of the recovery of Muslin yarn after 170 years will also be displayed in the festival.
The events will also include cultural programme Gambhira, regional songs of Sylhet, GaziKalur Pot, PathaNatya, Baul Song, Puthi Path, Kawali and song arrangement by eminent artistes.
Besides, there will be a special event on tourism beauty pageant on September 30, the fourth and last day of the festival.
The implementing partner of the festival is Spellbound while Association of Travel Agents of Bangladesh (ATAB), Tour Operators Association of Bangladesh (TOAB), Aviation and Tourism Journalists' Forum of Bangladesh (ATJFB), Bangladesh International Hotel Association (BIHA) and Bangladesh Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (BAAPA) joined as the strategic partners.
Since 1980, this day has been celebrated every year to focus on promoting tourism globally. It was initiated by the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO).
