Tourism planning

The Government has recognized the importance of the tourism industry and declared the National Tourism Policy of Bangladesh in February 1992. The Policy declared that it is possible to change the socio-economic 13 condition of the country through the development of its tourism resources. In addition, tourism shall be considered as an industry of due priority and this will be appropriately reflected in the annual five-year plans and development partners shall be apprised of this accordingly. Tourism planning has remained largely a state-sector responsibility. The development planning of the country is done by annual development programmes (ADP) within a broader Five-Year-Development-Plan (FYP).

The national development planning process

The national development planning process has a Planning Commission at its head. Development projects are initiated at the level of agencies, divisions, departments, local government bodies. They are then channeled upward through the relevant ministries and sections of the Planning Commission.The administrative ministries concerned are authorized to approve (under recommendation to the Plan Commission) projects involving costs at a designated level. Projects involving costs beyond that level are recommended to the Planning Commission for consideration, approval and allocation. Monitoring implementation of individual projects is also the responsibility of an organ of the Planning Commission, while concerned ministries oversee matters mainly through monthly ADP review meetings. Tourism development planning conforms to the national planning process. The nature of development planning in this sector, however, means that various agencies and several ministries may be involved. For example, infrastructure development like roads and highways may come within the purview of the National Department of Roads and Highways, while in certain cases such responsibility may devolve to a local body, a district authority or even a local government institution.

Coxs Bazar at a glance

Ancient Names Ruled by : : Palanki Pengwa Coxs Bazar Arakan Kings from 9th Century Portuguese & British afterwards 2491.86 sq. km. 2.2 million Avg. 39.5c in summer Avg. 11.8c in winter Moheshkhali, Kutubdia,MatharbariDolghata, Sonadia &St.Martin. Bakkhali, Matamuhuri, Reju, Naf ,Kohalia 15 km. from CXB Buddha Bihara Siva temple built in 1790. Buddhist monastery of Rakhine Community. 56 km away, famous for ancient structure. At Ramu was built in 1800.11 feet & 9 feet bronze image of Lord Buddha.A Large 3900 kg weight bell.

Area Population Highest temperature Lowest temperature Islands

Main Rivers Ramkot Aggamedha Kyang Light House Lampara Buddha Vihar

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Prospects and Challenges of Coxs Bazar

Prospects: Longest sea beach of the world. Combination of sand, sea and green chain of hills. Scope to become a sun & beach destination for east ward & northern countries like Eastern China, Nepal, Bhutan & north eastern part of India. Rich indigenous culture, textile & colorful life style. Versatile attraction like beach, isolated island, forest, coral island, Buddhist & Hindu religious attractions,Salt processing, sea fishing, hand woven textile of local Rakhaine community. Scope to develop various tourist activities like back water cruising at Reju Khal near Inane, surfing, Scuba diving, kitting, hand gliding, water sports, sea fishing, golf, beach sports like beach football, volleyball, cricket & waterskiing, hiking, trekking, trailing, sea cruising, sightseeing, drive to Teknaf through 120 km long beach drive.

Scope to establish exclusive tourist zone (ETZ) Increasing interest of foreign local investors to invest at Coxs Bazar to establish 5-star hotel, golf course, theme park, world class shopping mall, studio apartment, holiday resort. 5 Star Hotel by Raddisson Group, Starwood at Inani , 5 Star Resort with Spa Formulation of investors friendly tourism investment policy offering attractive package benefit for the investors. Construction of Marine Drive by which visiting tourists can enjoy a combined view of chain of hills at one end and blue water of Bay of Bengal on the other driving through the unbroken 120 Km. long beach from Coxs Bazar to Teknaf within less than 2 hours time. Beach facilities like observation tower, rescue team, beach lighting is already been established by beach development committee. An Investment of 1200 crore taka from private sector is already been made to develop hotels, motels, restaurants and guest houses.

Challenges:
1.Environmental effect due to global climate change. Unplanned development in seashore areas. 2.Lack of skilled manpower. 3.Privacy problem in beach areas especially for foreigners. 4.Lack of commitment to develop tourism. 5.No water and sewerage system. 6.Frequent load shading. 7.No gas line. 8.Communication problems: Narrow roads, too much traffic, no railway lines, flights are limited and irregular.

9.Excess influx of tourist exceeding the capacity. 10.The capacity of hotel, motel & guest houses are 84,000 at present but during holidays total arrival is more than 100 thousand. 11.Establishment of hatchery and dry fish plant in beach area which is polluting the environment. 12.Scarcity of cylinder gas, high price of food items and exploitation. 13.Normal lives of local people are disturbed due to excess tourist arrival during season. 14.Rohinga crisis in Teknaf area, especially they become a threat for the locality and environment as they are violent in nature and destroying the forest for firewood. 15.Due to high cost of cylinder gas not only local people but also moderate hotel, motel, restaurant are using firewood to save the cost of cooking which is a threat for the environment.

Tourist Spots in Coxs Bazar

Inani Beach Lovesome patches of beaches perched between the sea and the hills behind, some 30 km. down south along the sea-front from Coxs Bazar, Inani is a quiet tourist hideout set out in the exuberance of nature.

Himchhari A beauty spot in the solitude of the sea and the hills. About 4 and a half km. south-east from Coxs Bazar along the beach. Part of the way on donkey or elephant back and the remainder afoot would be a rewarding memory.

Tourist Spots in Coxs Bazar

Ramu A small buddhist village Ramu is 15 km. from Coxs Bazar. Attraction include ancient Buddhist tample, rubber gardens, Buddhist locality Red Chin Khyang, white Chin Khyang, etc. Moheskhali An island in the Bay in the north wetern direction off Coxs Bazar. The island is dotted here and there with forested hills with the ancient Adinath Temple in its midst Fishermens villages and the Rakhyne villages are great attractions of the island.

Tourist Spots in Coxs Bazar Sonadia Dip

This is a maiden island off Coxs Bazar across the Bay. Under the wide open blue sky fishing community, dry fish processing and colonies of the red sea crabs are attractions of the island.

Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation as National Tourist Organization (NTO) Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation (BPC) was established in 1972 through a Presidential Order no 143, and placed it under the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism. It has been entrusted with dual responsibility - promotion of tourism in the country as well as creation of facilities on commercial basis. Since its inception, BPC has been developing and creating various tourist facilities across the country. Till to date, it has created 42 tourism units (hotels. motels, restaurants, tourism centre, picnic spots, duty free shops, drinks corner, etc.) at different places of tourist attractions of the country in order to offer facilities to the tourists. It also runs a National Hotel and Tourism Training Institute (NHTTI), which to date, produced more than 24,000 trained manpower. As per the privatization policy of Bangladesh government, BPC has leased out as many as 11 commercial units to private sector on commercial basis.

Policy Recommendations
1. Budget tourism aimed at all age groups, particularly the young generation of backpackers needs to be developed, with economy travel, easing of visa formalities, dissemination of information and low-cost but comfortable accommodations, etc. 2. For learning lessons from other more successful groupings, visits of groups comprising of tourist officials, private sector entrepreneurs and journalists should be arranged. 3. Investment opportunities with liberal incentives need to be communicated to both national and international investors. 4. Eco-tourism and Buddhist Circuit tourisms should be grounded on the premise of poverty reduction of local communities. Tourist facilities and products need to be developed with minimum ecological impact. Also, opportunities for employment generation and income earning for the local communities are to be created.

Policy Recommendations
5. Human resource development for tourism through formal and informal education, training and exchange visits is of utmost importance for Bangladesh. 6. The ministry of Tourism and National Tourism Organizations of the Bangladesh needs to be strengthened.

7. Quality of service needs to be improved. For the purpose, training at different levels from top management down to door boys should be initiated at national and regional levels.
8. In the area of environmental management, an integrated approach needs to be taken for ensuring sustainability. The good practices within Bangladesh in different areas, such as community-based resource management, energy efficiency and conservation, pollution management, disaster mitigation, etc. need to be disseminated.

Action Plan
A Training Center at Coxs Bazar Establishment of ETZ . Development of environmental friendly tourist facilities Construction of rest house, snack bar near the Buddhist Temple at Ramu. Establishment of National Park at Himchori and wild life conservation center at Teknaf. Creation of tourist facilities in Kutubdia and Moheshkhali Island and procurement of water vessel for the tourist and water sports amenities for the islands of southern areas. Organization responsible :Central Govt.,Local Govt., NGOs, Local Organizations. Timeline for completion: 3 5 years Potential funding sources:ADP,International Donors, FDI etc.

Implementation and Evaluation

National Tourism Database shall be formed and put in function. Throughout the process of monitoring , the outcomes of updates measured according to predefined indicators will be subject to regular comparative analyses and modification. The National Tourism Database Service will organize the data transmitted then submit its conclusions with opinions to Ministry of Tourism and National Tourism Council. Later, the council will set measures required to making necessary amendments in the strategy accordingly.

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