Dhaka: Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister M. Rashiduzzaman Millat today informed the Jatiya Sangsad that the government has embarked on the task of finalizing a comprehensive master plan aimed at developing the country's tourism sector by identifying 1,498 tourist destinations.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the Minister announced that work on formulating the National Tourism Policy 2026 has already commenced. He emphasized that efforts are underway to finalize an integrated tourism master plan by pinpointing approximately 1,498 tourist centres across the nation. This announcement was made while he was responding to a starred question from ruling party MP Shaukat Ara Akter (Women's Seat-33) in the House today.
Rashiduzzaman outlined the government's various initiatives to develop tourist destinations as environment-friendly and sustainable attractions to draw both domestic and international tourists. He highlighted the ongoing process of preparing a Tourism Satellite Account to address information gaps within the tourism sector and aid in its structured development.
The Minister also mentioned that initiatives have been taken to develop tourist spots under a community-based tourism model, actively involving local communities in the development process. To enhance tourist safety, the government plans to bolster the manpower of the Tourist Police.
Furthermore, Millat announced the decision to sign a memorandum of understanding between the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism and the Ministry of Cultural Affairs to jointly promote cultural tourism in Bangladesh. After signing the MoU, the formulation of a Standard Operating Procedure will commence, and a joint task force will be created to expedite activities.
The Minister added that efforts are underway to brand Bangladesh as an international tourist destination through the Beautiful Bangladesh campaign and mentioned the development of the beautifulbangladesh.gov.bd website as part of promoting the country's tourism attractions internationally.