Sustainability Of Tourism Industry Bangladesh Perspective

Sustainability of Tourism Industry: Bangladesh Perspective. MOHAMMAD SHAMSUDDOHA Assistant Professor Department of Marketing, University of Chittagong Chittagong, Bangladesh. E-mail: [email protected], [email protected] Abstract: Bangladesh as a vacationland has many facets. Her tourist attractions include archeological sites, historic mosques and monuments, resorts, beaches, picnic spots, forest and wildlife. Bangladesh is a riverine country having attractive panoramic beauty. There are hills, vales, deep and mangrove forests, rivers and the longest beach in the world. In this country, the scope of nature based tourism, research based tourism, culture based tourism and eco-tourism is quite evident. In Bangladesh, prospective areas are present, minimum infra-structural arrangement is developing, role of government is now positive, private and public organizations have come forward side by side to attract the local and foreign tourists, researchers, dignitaries and foreign delegates. Having all the minimum requirements, the tourism industry could not develop adequately. The cracks of problem could not identify accurately because of paucity of sufficient number of research and investigations in our country. Out of different problems, the researchers have concentrated their focus to human resource development aspect for tourism sector in Bangladesh. It is due to low literacy rate of general people, they cannot communicate with the domestic and foreign tourists significantly. So, the tourists felt discourage to visit repeatedly to the tourist spots. It is not possible to increase literacy rate dramatically to develop communicative skill of mass people. The researchers feel that a group of personnel could be developed on an emergency basis to face the immense need of the tourism industry in Bangladesh. Presently, specialized formal education like bachelor’s degree, under graduate degree or postgraduate degrees are not available in universities of Bangladesh on tourism. No specialized training program is being found to develop skilled personnel in this regard. In some International Hotels, Parjatan Corporation and at private level tourist agencies very limited scope of on the job training has been developed. This study will facilitate the decision makers to assess the intensity of the problem and to plan accurate measures to train and develop a good number of manpower for facing the current need readily. This could benefit the tourism industry in multiple ways. This could change the economic picture of tourism sector and contribute a big share in the GDP of Bangladesh. Keywords: Tourism, Development, Marketing Introduction During the post-Second World War era, tourism demand has rapidly increased and tourism has become a worldwide phenomenon. Not surprisingly, this post-war boom has drawn the attention of many developing countries, and tourism as one of the growing industries of the world economy has enticed many entrepreneurs and governments of various countries to invest in the tourism industry without proper planning and preparation (Cevat Tosun and Dallen J. Timothy, 2001). Tourism is not associated with aristocracy. Today even ordinary persons can afford. With the passage of time, the tourism has become almost a part of our normal life. In the background of its growing popularity, tourism has become a mass phenomenon. It has grown to such dimensions that we consider it an important industry. Tourism planning has been defined as a process based on research and evaluation, which seeks to optimize the potential contribution of tourism to human welfare and environmental quality (Tosun and Jenkins, 1998). Thus, tourism planning should relate tourism development to the more equitable distribution of wealth that is one of the main aims of national development planning. In this respect, tourism planning is a component of national development planning and strategy. Moreover, it includes a decision -making process between the tourism industry and other sectors of the economy, between various sub-national areas and between types of tourism. It requires the integration of the tourism industry into other sectors such as agriculture, industry, transportation and social services (Timothy, 1999 Further, it is an effort to make possible harmony between the social interests and interests of tourist organizations. It is an approach to promote business, which feeds the organizations the necessary information for farming or revamping the marketing decisions. The tourisms marketing is thus promotion or sales based on research on what are to be sold in the market. Dependence on laurels is not possible in the tourism marketing since the taste preferences of users change very firstly. Rationale of the study Bangladesh is trying to develop her tourism status to compete in local and global market. Tourism is one of the main root of developing the country’s economy and as well as skilled professional human resource. Governmental and nonGovernmental institutes can keep such a vital role by giving emphasis on tourism marketing. Bangladesh need s to develop its human resources for improving tourism marketing in local tourists as well as foreign tourist.. In Bangladesh, tourism has lot of potentiality to earn more revenue than presently what they are earning. If Govt. and Non -government organization come forward and take the responsibility for developing tourism industry, it will earn much more revenue

and create lots of employment as well. There has no plethora research work on tourism in Bangladesh perspectives. This research will add some value and fill up the gap that motivated the authors to undertake such a study Objectives of the study In the light of development of tourism industry in Bangladesh particularly, the main objectives of the study are1. To find out the present status of tourism industry in Bangladesh. 2. To explore the potential tourist spot in Bangladesh. 3. To give some recommendation for the development of tourist industry in Bangladesh. Scope and Methodologies of the study The study covered various Government and non-government who are acting vital role in developing tourism industry Situated mainly capital Dhaka and commercial capital city Chittagong in Bangladesh. Necessary information and data were collected from sample respondents through the direct interview method by using structured questionnair e. In addition, review all the tourism related websites for updated information. So many respondents were interviewed during the study period. Other hand, the researcher also reviews several foreign and local research works as well in this field. Limitations of the study The study covered very limited number of sample organization in respect of its real scope all over the country. There is no plethora of research work in this field. Sometimes responded were not interested to express to their honest opinion. To overcome these limitations, an intensive study of existing literature in this field, foreign journal, relevant publication by Government and other private agencies were studied. This is fully self-financed research work that is why the researcher could not able to cover wider area. Analysis of Findings The conceptual exposition appears essential to study tourism marketing. The marketing experts opine that tourism marketing is the systemic and coordinated efforts to optimize the satisfaction of tourism .The thing here are concerned with making available to the tourist organizations. The tourism marketing is also supposed to be a device to make a possible reorientation in the business policy and overhaul in the management concept. Tourism marketing is an integrated effort to satisfy tourists by making available to them the best possible services. It is a device to transform the potential tourists into actual tourists. It is the safest way to generate demand and expand market. Further, it is an effort to make possible harmony between the social interests and interests of tourist organizations. It is an approach to promote business, which feeds the organizations the necessary information for farming or revamping the marketing decisions. The tourisms marketing is thus promotion or sales based on research on what are to be sold in the market. Dependence on laurels is not possible in the tourism marketing since the taste preferences of users change very firstly in Bangladesh. The users of Tourism Services There are several users of tourist like rural tourists, urban tourists and international tourists. For the successful execution of marketing strategies for translating the strategies in to meaningful purposes, it is essential to have a detailed knowledge of users of services. Tourists coming from the rural areas are rural tourists whereas the tourists coming from urban areas are urban tourists. The users

Domestic

Foreign

Rural

Urban

Literate/ Illiterate

Literate/ Illiterate

Rich / Poor

Rich / Poor

or [Source: BPC Officials ] Classification of Tourists According to a sample survey, the tourists arrival are classified in the following categories: 17% A. Business  42% B. Pleasure  23% 18% C. Official  18% D. Others  17% [Source: BPC]

Figure: Shows the Arrival of Tourists

Business Pleasure 42%

Official Others

23%

Institutional Framework The National Tourism Organization The principal channel of Government involvement in the tourism sector is the national tourism organization, Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation, which is a semi autonomous government agency reporting to the Ministry of civil Aviation and Tourism as its administrative Ministry. Importantly, the national airline Biman Bangladesh Airlines, forms a separate division within the same Ministry, which allows integration and of tourism initiatives. Many of BPC’s managerial matters are handling through the national Tourism Facilitation committee headed by the secretary of the ministry of Aviation and Tourism. BPC was created on the 27th November 1972 by order of the Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh and commenced business in January 1973. It was established as a Corporation under the laws of the country with an authorized capital of Tk one crore (roughly US$ 1.3 million then) and initial share capital of Tk five lakhs (roughly US$ 65,000 then). Under the law, additional loan or equity capital could be raised for carrying out the functions of the Corporation with government approval. It was evidently the intention of the drafters of the Order that BPC should be an autonomous corporation responsible to its shareholders as would be any other corporate entity in the country. Government Investment in Tourism Despite the low priority given by the Government to tourism at a national level there have been some important investments in both Parjatan and Biman. (A) Government investment in BPC The audited, consolidated balance sheet of the Corporation as at 30 June 1984 (the latest available at the time of preparation of the master plan report) shows total government investment of over Tk 20 crore. That amount, equivalent to us$ 6.7 million was composed of fully paid capital of Tk 345 lakhs (us$ 1.15 million), grants Tk 281 lakhs (us$ 0.93 million), and loans Tk 14.4 crore (us$ 4.82 million). Of the total investment at the balance sheet date, net assets account for Tk 13.9 crore (us$ 4.62 million) and operating losses (including depreciation) for Tk 9.2 crore (us$ 3.07 million). The operating losses occurred in the years from 1972 to 1983 and have been partially offset by profits since then. (B) Government investment in Biman Bangladesh airlines The government as sole stockholder in Biman was not primarily making an investment in tourism but in an airline with potential to become an important contributor tourist flows. Substantial levels of investment have taken place both in Biman and in the rehabilitation and development of domestic airports. In TFYP, for example an allocation is made to Biman of Tk 140 crore (us$ 47 million), and to domestic airport development to Tk 70 crore (us$ 23 million), for improvements at Sylhet and Chittagong and for further capital works at Zia international Airport in Dhaka. Such investments are supportive to tourism development aspirations particularly those investments in the national carrier although clearly the investments have wider implications than for tourism alone. Private Investment in Tourism A range of concessionary investment incentives are offered to the private sector in tourism activities, in line with other special capital depreciation regu lations, etc. In addition, the tourism sector receives significant loan finance from the commercial banks. The starting date for the period of income tax exemption for companies in the tourism sector has been extended to June 1990. The period of exemption varies with the district in which the activity is arrived on and portions of the profits must be reinvested in the activity or in government bonds. Recent private sector investment initiatives appear limited to Dhaka, however. The primary reasons for this would appear to be demand deficiency rather than any institutional constraints. One of the examples of private investment in tourism is Fantasy Kingdom. Manpower Development and Training It has been recognized by BPC that the Corporation is short of professional staff in its hotel operations division particularly and that the development of tourism in Bangladesh will require training of management cadres. In order to establish and develop a professional training programme within the tourism industry in Bangladesh, BPC established the Hotel and Tourism Training Institute (HTTI), which was jointly funded in 1978 by the Government of Bangladesh and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) with the International Labor Organization (ILO) as executing agency. The first phase of the project finished in 1983 and the second phase commenced in February 1986. The Institute and the hotel are housed in purpose-built facilities having, in addition to 20 bedrooms and usual hotel facilities, classroom areas, a training restaurant, training and demonstration kitchens, a front office reception area, a conference room, offices and administrative areas. The ILO, besides helping the Government to develop the hospitality industry, is also helping to develop human resources by providing in-depth training programmes. The full-time courses, supervised by international experts and consultants, cover the following specializations: Ø Ø Ø Ø

Hotel and Restaurant Kitchen Training Restaurant Service Front Office and Secretarial Bakery, Pastry and Confectionery

Ø Ø Ø

Housekeeping Operations Tourist Guides Tour Operation and Travel Agencies.

There will also be part-time of day-release courses in various aspects of the industry, according to identified needs, such as: Ø Hygiene and Sanitation for Food Handlers Ø Communications and Social Skills Ø Short on-the-job Instructor Training Courses Ø Short courses in different aspects of catering for nonprofessionals. A serious difficulty is the low level of foreign langrage skills of rank and file employees that make the inclusion of the proposed language laboratory a desirable priority. Other UNDP projects for tourism sector training will also be of assistance to Bangladesh in meeting its training needs. One project for training in tourism planning for South Asia has resulted in conclusions and recommendations that include: Ø One-year scholarships, to be given for overseas training at university graduate level. Ø The development of a series of three six-week regional training courses. The courses would cover a var iety of topics including statistical data collection, techniques and principles of detailed planning of resorts, and standards of control of environmental and social impact. A programme for regional cooperation in tourism training that is planned for 1988 would cover a number of conceptual matters as well as specialized training. Among the topics slated for attention are: Ø Multi destination holiday packaging Ø Budgetary and financial management including Ø Development of market identity hotel accounting Ø Creation of job titles for sector personnel to Ø Tour operator and ground handling courses. replace the currently used civil service names Ø Improvement of staff attitudes and capability Objectives Of Tourism Development in Bangladesh The objectives and perceived benefits of tourism for Bangladesh are specific. They are: Ø To improve the balance of payments and to reverse negative flow in the tourism sector; Ø To provide employment; Ø To capitalize on the investment already made in airports, the nationals airline, in transport and accommodation; Ø To enhance the image of the country in the eyes of the world; Ø To reinforce and protect the culture of the country; Ø To expose its people to world movements, the stimulation provided by other cultures and enhances their employment p otential abroad; Ø To enable its people to share in the enjoyment of facilities and amenities that would be created for international tourism purposes and that would provide a base for growth in domestic tourism. Explore the Place of Tourist attraction Ther e are so many place which is enrich for tourism. The researcher mentioned some of as follows:Chittagong: Chittagong, the second largest city of Bangladesh and a busy international seaport, is an ideal vacation spot. Its green hills and forests, its broad sandy beaches and its fine cool climate always attract the holiday-markers. Described by the Chinese traveler poet, Huen Tsang (7th century A.D) as "a sleeping beauty emerging from mists and water" and given the title of "Porto Grande" by the 16th century Portuguese seafarers. It combines the busy hum of an active seaport with the shooting quiet of a charming hill town. Besides, the longest sea-beach, Cox's Bazar and its adjoing areas hav e a lot of things to see and places deserve visit by the tourists are Tomb of Sultan Bayazid Bostami, World War II Cemetery , Shrine of Shah Amanat, Court Building Museum, Foy's Lake (Pahartali Lake), Mercantile Marine Academy at Juldia, Patenga and Fouzdarhat Sea Beaches, Port Area, Ethnological Museum, Zia Museum, Sitakunda, Kaptai lake, Cox's Bazar: Cox's Bazar beach Miles of golden sands, towering cliffs, surfing waves, rare conch shells, colorful pagodas, Buddhist temples and tribes, delightful sea-food--this is Cox's Bazar, the tourist capital of Bangladesh. Having the world's longest (120 kilometers.) beach sloping gently down to the blue waters of the Bay of Bengal, Cox's Bazar is one of the most attractive tourist sport in the country. Located at a distance of 152 km. south of Chittagong, the leading seaport of Bangladesh, Cox's Bazar is connected both by air and road from Dhaka and Chittagong. Besides, the longest sea-beach, Cox's Bazar and its adjoing areas have a lot of things to see and places deserve visit by the tourists like The Aggameda Khyang, Cox's Bazar, Himchari, Inani, Maheshkhali, Ramu,Sonadia Island, Teknaf etc. Dhaka: The capital of Bangladesh is Dhaka with its exciting history and rich culture Known the world over as the city of mosques and muslin. It has attracted travellers from far and near through ages. It has history dating (18th century), Dhakeshwari Temple (llth Century), Ramkrishna Mission, Armenian Church (1781 A.D.) St.Mary's Cathedral at Ramna, Lalbagh Fort, It was built in 1678 A.D. by Prince Mohammad Azam, son of Mughal emperor Aurangazeb, National Memorial, Bahadur Shah Park, Bangabandhu Memorial Museum, Mukti back to earliest time. Seven domed Mosque (17th century), Baitul Mukarram National Mosque, Star Mosque Juddha Museum, National Museum, Science Museum, Ahsan Manzil Museum, Banga Bhaban, Bara Katra, Chota Katra, National Art Gallery, Suhrawardy Uddyan (Garden), Balda Garden, Ramna Garden, National Park, Zoological Park, Curzon Hall, Botanical Park, High Court Building, Dhaka Zoo, Central Shahid Minar, National Poet's Graveyard, Buddhist monastery, Sonargaon etc. Kuakata: Kuakata, locally known as Sagar Kannya (Daughter of the Sea) is a rare scenic beauty spot on the southernmost tip of Bangladesh. Kuakata in Latachapli union under Kalapara Police Station of Patuakhali district is about 30 km in length and 6 km in breadth. It is 70 km from Patuakhali district headquarters and 320 km from Dhaka.

At Kuakata excellent combination of the picturesque natural beauty, sandy beach, blue sky, huge expanse of water of the Bay and evergreen forest in really eye-catching. Sundarban : In the south-western part of Bangladesh, in the district of greater Khulna, lies the Sundarbans, the beautiful forest. It is a virgin forest which until recently owed nothing to human endeavour and yet nature has laid it out with as much care as a planned pleasure ground. For miles and miles, the lofty treetops form an unbroken canopy, while nearer the ground, works of high and ebb-tide marked on the soil and tree trunks and the many varieties of the natural mangrove forest have much to offer to an inquisitive visitor. No wonder, you may come across a Royal Bengal Tiger swimming across the streams or the crocodiles basking on the river banks. Sylhet : Nestled in the picturesque Surma valley amidst scenic tea plantations and lush green tropical forests, it is a prime attraction for all tourists. Its terraced tea ga rdens, eye soothing orange groves and pineapple plantations and hills covered with tropical forests form a beautiful landscape. The Sylhet valley has a good number of haors, which are big natural wetlands. During winter these haors are vast stretches of gr een land but in the rainy season they turn into turbulent seas. These haors provide sanctuary to the millions of migratory birds that fly from Siberia across the Himalayas to avoid the severe cold. Srimongal in Sylhet, known as the tea capital of Bangladesh, is the main tea center in this region. Besides that there are several place which might be treat as a tourist spot like Natore, Mainamati, Paharpur , Bogra etc. Recommendation There are so many problems, the researcher found regarding tourism in Bangladesh. The customers of tourism market are price sensitive and want security in tourist place. To expand the market it is necessary to set competitive price. ¦ Develop the management education on tourism Marketing and prepare marketing or sales people to sell the product properly to the right place in local and global perspectives as well. ¦ In order to strengthen the marketing department, a person should be appointed to look after policy matters and new brand exclusively while the responsibility of that division should be in the hand of the marketing Director. ¦ Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation should create pressure on Govt. to implement her policy mor e strictly regarding the quality of service. As a result private service provider will be able to face competition on an even ground. ¦ To deliver information to the foreign tourist through online or website and Information Technology is necessary to research about new tourist spot. ¦ Private sector in this field should be encouraged by the BPC and as well as Government officials. Final comments Bangladesh is one of the third world countries having scarcity of his finance but they can increase their GDP through by giving stress to the tourism industry. From overall point of view, Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation is a only one government tourism service provider firm in Bangladesh, which practices modern marketing concept. But in some sector they are lagging behind. There has a lot of opportunities to earn foreign and local revenue from this sector but this sector is totally ignored. The researcher has put forward some recommendation. If BPC follows these recommendations, in the long run, BPC will become revenue generating organization Bangladesh has a lot of potential tourist spots but it should do find out the exposure. Otherwise, she cannot cash from this potential sector. And private sector should encouraged by the government to work together for the sake of the development of tourism industry in Bangladesh. References 1. Butler, R.W. (1990), ``Tourism-historical and conceptual context’’, in Nelson, J.G. and O’Neil, P.C. (Eds), A Workshop on a Strategy for Tourism and Sustainable Development , Heritage Res ources Centre, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, pp. 15-19. 2. Cevat Tosun and Dallen J. Timothy, International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management 13/7 [2001] Page. 352. 3. Tosun, C. and Jenkins, C.L. (1998), ``The evolution of tourism planning in third world countries: a critique’’, Progress in Tourism and Hospitality Research, Vol. 4 No. 2, pp. 101 -14. 4. Timothy, D. (1998), ``Cooperative tourism planning in a developing destination’’, Journal of Sustainable Tourism, Vol. 6 No. 1, pp. 52 -68. 5. President’s Order No 143 of 1972 as published in the Bangladesh Gazette Extraordinary, 27 th November 1972. 6. Principles of Marketing, Philip Kotler & Gray Armstrong, 7th Edition 7. Marketing Management, Philip Kotler, 9th Edition. 8. Website of Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation,UNDP, WTO, ILO 9. www.bangladeshonline.com 10. www.tourismindiaonline.com 11. www.tourismindia.com 12. www.bangladeshonline.com/tourism/spots