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There was a time when the sustainable development of Bangladesh’s promising tourism sector was thought to be unimaginable without a credible master plan. Of all the stakeholders in this sector, none were more vocal in demanding one than the private sector actors. It is fair to say that under their sustained pressure, at the third meeting of the National Tourism Council, the then government undertook an initiative to prepare a master plan for the planned development of the country’s tourism industry, at an estimated cost of nearly BDT 30 crore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
IP Global, an Indian consulting firm, secured the mandate to develop the master plan through a competitive procurement process. Its joint venture partners included a French firm and two domestic consultancies. A formidable team of experts, led by the internationally reputed Scottish tourism specialist Benjamin Carey, took up the task of drafting the plan, with Professor Nazim of the Department of Geography at the University of Dhaka serving as the team’s deputy chief.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The work was launched with reasonable fanfare at a five-star hotel in Dhaka, in the presence of the country’s entire tourism stakeholder community. The expert team subsequently undertook a field visit to Bandarban, a district richly endowed with tourism assets, touring each of its attractions in turn. As CEO of the Tourism Board at the time, I accompanied them on that visit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What began as a rather grand undertaking soon ran into serious headwinds with the onset of COVID-19. Experts from various countries returned to their respective homes and all activities related to the master plan’s preparation were formally suspended for the duration of the pandemic. When the worst of the disruption had passed, work resumed, though most of the foreign experts did not return; in their place, tourism specialists were brought in from India, Sri Lanka and elsewhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even as ground-level data collection for the master plan was under way, the country still remained under various pandemic-related restrictions. Tourist footfall at attractions had not yet resumed. International and domestic air travel had not been fully restored. Star-rated and other hotels alike were still short of adequate occupancy. Inevitably, this cast doubt on the reliability of data gathered from the field during that period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In certain instances, moreover, political considerations were allowed to influence the identification of tourism products, prompting sharp criticism from various quarters over inconsistencies in the preparation process. Many critics held the view that consultants had drafted portions of the plan from secondary sources without ever visiting the tourism sites in question.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A robust monitoring committee, comprising both government and private sector representatives and chaired by the CEO of the Tourism Board, met at least once a month. At these sessions, the consultants’ work was subjected to rigorous scrutiny, with private sector representatives being particularly outspoken in their assessments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was through this sequence of obstacles that Bangladesh’s first tourism master plan was finally completed. In the meantime, the Hasina government fell and an interim government assumed office; to my knowledge, no further work on the plan has taken place during its two years in power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Coincidentally, the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics began work on the country’s first Tourism Satellite Account (TSA) around the same period. Despite proceeding in earnest, it too encountered the same difficulty of inadequate, non-real-time field data. Notwithstanding these data limitations, the Bureau produced the country’s first Tourism Satellite Account in 2020, an initiative that deserves recognition, since it now forms the foundation for a renewed round of TSA preparation currently under way. It is hoped that this will help address the chronic data drought that has long plagued the sector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The present BNP government, led by Tarique Rahman, has pledged in its election manifesto to advance the tourism industry and references to the master plan’s preparation have surfaced repeatedly in statements from the head of government. The Minister of Civil Aviation and Tourism, Afroza Khanam Rita MP, is a notably gracious and dignified public figure. In her remarks at various forums, she has signalled firm commitment to fulfilling her government’s mandate for tourism development. Most recently, during a visit to Uttara Ganabhaban in Natore, she pledged to transform the historic district into a tourism hub.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Following the government’s political decision, the process of revising and approving the master plan has resumed, with visible movement among the relevant bureaucracy. As I understand it, the plan, originally prepared by a third party under the supervision of a development partner organisation, will be reviewed, revised as necessary and then placed before the National Tourism Council, chaired by the Honourable Prime Minister, for approval. It is hoped that the long-awaited tourism master plan will be approved and delivered by December 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As noted earlier, the original impetus for a modern, well-conceived tourism master plan came chiefly from the country’s leading tourism experts. Yet enthusiasm for it among that same community appears to have waned considerably. Years of the matter languishing within government has, it seems, bred a measure of disillusionment. A number of experts have instead begun advocating for a shorter-term strategic plan, reasoning that a document originally intended for completion by 2020 has, by 2026, lost much of its relevance to present circumstances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As someone who played a modest role in the master plan’s preparation, however, I remain convinced that whatever data limitations the Tourism Board’s plan may carry, it is not methodologically flawed and the question of its irrelevance to current realities simply does not arise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our regional peers in tourism have achieved their success by following precisely this kind of master planning approach and there is reason to hope that we, too, can succeed if we follow it faithfully. Considerable challenges remain, however. The Bangladesh Tourism Board has been designated the Lead Agency for implementation and how it will manage such an enormous undertaking with its limited manpower remains an open question. Specific responsibilities have been assigned to numerous government ministries and divisions, but whether each will pursue implementation with equal seriousness and whether ministries and divisions outside Tourism will treat the master plan as their own, is far from certain. Coordination failures have historically derailed many a plan within our system of governance; whether the tourism master plan will meet the same fate remains to be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bearing these realities in mind, it will be essential from this point forward to strengthen the Tourism Board’s institutional capacity and to establish a clear implementation strategy. Convening the National Tourism Council every six months, it is hoped, would go a long way toward overcoming the prevailing coordination gaps and ensuring the master plan is implemented as intended.<\/p>\n\n\n\n