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Entrepreneurs urged to take initiative to develop tourism sector

3-day fair kicks off

Star Business Report
Individual entrepreneurs should take more responsibility and initiatives to develop tourism sector further in the country, said Mahbub Jamil, special assistant to the chief adviser, yesterday.
He was addressing the inaugural ceremony of a three-day tourism fair 'BRAC Bank Bangladesh Travel and Tourism Mart 2008' at Bashundhara City Expo Center in Dhaka.
"The private sector should come to forefront with the aim to develop the tourism sector by promoting the country's natural and historical places at home and abroad," he said.
He said the government has decided to restructure the Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation (BPC) to reduce the bureaucratic tangle to help develop the tourism sector.
He also said the government has already started to privatise organisations, such
as hotels and motels under BPC, to realise their growth potential.
Mahbub Jamil suggested that the private entrepreneurs should build a master plan to develop the infrastructure from Cox's Bazar to Teknaf to attract more tourists, local and foreign.
Shafique Alam Mehdi, chairman of BPC, said a public and private partnership is needed for the development of the tourism sector.
He stressed the projection of natural beauties and historical places abroad to attract foreign tourists.
Hasan Mansur, president of Tour Operators' Association of Bangladesh (TOAB), emphasised attracting tourists — especially from the South Asian countries — to visit Cox's Bazar, the longest unbroken beach in the world.
A total of 55 organisations, including local banks, tour operators, hotels, motels and airlines, are participating in the fair with their products
and services. The fair will remain open for all from 10am to 8pm everyday.
A campaign to vote for Cox's Bazar and the Sunderbans has been arranged at the fair in a bid to ensure that the two places are at the top of the list of seven natural wonders of the world.
Mamun Ashraphi, chief executive officer of Amazing Holiday, a travel agency and organiser of the fair, urged the government to allocate budget and develop a database to promote the historical and natural sites ofthe country. -
MA Muhaimin Saleh, president of Association of Travel Agents of Bangladesh (ATAB), and Ab edur Rahman Sikder, head of marketing and corporate affairs of BRAC Bank, were also present at the ceremony.
The Daily Star, Ittefaq, Channel i and Radio Foorti are the media partners of the fair.
The entry fee of the fair is Tk 10 per person. However, students can visit the fair without any entry fee.