Dhaka: The government has initiated a significant step towards enhancing the tourism industry by forming a high-level ‘Cabinet Committee on Tourism’ led by the finance minister. This move aims to expedite the development, expansion, and quality control of tourism within the country.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the Cabinet Division has issued a gazette notification formalizing the committee’s formation, which was initially notified on May 21. The 17-member committee comprises ministers, state ministers, advisers, and top officials from various pivotal ministries and agencies. The finance minister will chair this committee, which includes the ministers for Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives; Home Affairs; Foreign Affairs; Environment, Forest and Climate Change; Cultural Affairs; Land; Civil Aviation and Tourism; Commerce; Housing and Public Works; Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs; Railways; and Shipping.
The committee also includes the state ministers for Civil Aviation and Tourism and Planning, an adviser to the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism, and the Executive Chairman of the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA). Secretaries, including senior secretaries, and officials from 15 key ministries will offer secretarial and technical support to the committee. These ministries encompass Land, Home Affairs, Finance, Railways, Housing and Public Works, Foreign Affairs, Cultural Affairs, Planning, Road Transport and Highways, Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs, Local Government, Civil Aviation and Tourism, Shipping, Environment, and Commerce.
The notification, endorsed by Additional Secretary (Committee and Economic) of the Cabinet Division Md Humayun Kabir, highlights three primary responsibilities for the committee. It will provide specific policy recommendations for the overall development, expansion, and adherence to international standards within Bangladesh’s tourism industry. The committee will also identify unexplored potential, new opportunities, existing issues, and domestic and global challenges, offering solutions to address them.
Furthermore, the committee will pinpoint areas for domestic and foreign investment and public-private partnership (PPP) initiatives to fortify the tourism sector’s capacity, devising effective strategies for implementation. The notification permits the committee to co-opt new members if required for seamless functioning, with the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism providing secretarial support. It also nullifies the previous tourism-related committee notification issued by the Cabinet Division on February 8, 2024, and enforces the new order with immediate effect.