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699 police personnel to be trained for tourists

Tourism sector looks up as political strife eases

Gazi Towhid Ahmed
A total of699 police personnel will be trained by the Bangladesh Tourism Foundation and the specialised Tourist Police to ensure security for local and foreign travellers to help boost the local tourism sector.
The arrival of global tourists in Bangladesh fell 8 percent to 5.5 lakh in 2013, compared to 5.94 lakh in the previous year, according to Bangladesh Bank.
Inward tourism was mainly affected by political turmoil, raising safety issues over the last year, analysts said.
BTF and Tourist Police yesterday began training 30 police personnel to ensure security for travellers at the tourists spots and create awareness about archaeological sites and
other tourists spots among the local communities, said Mokhlesur Rahman, president of BTF.
They also trained 70 police in Cox's Bazar last month, he added.
"We want to provide the best service to foreign tourists with adequate security, to make their trip a happy one," said Nibash Chandra Majhi, deputy inspector general of Tourist Police.
"Our trained people will ensure security of archaeological sites and other tourist spots," Majhi said.
"We will also take a note of complaints from tourists if they face any problems in Bangladesh," he added.
The government established Tourist Police as a specialised unit last year.
Tourism infrastructure and
security must be developed in Bangladesh to attract foreign tourists, said Taufiq Rahman, chief executive of Journey Plus, a leading global tour operator.
The government should develop some tourism products with proper marketing by organising road shows and campaigns, Rahman added.
He hinted that the government may prioritise the tourism sector in the upcoming budget for 2014-15.
The tourism sector is looking bright as tourists are coming back with an ease in the political situation, he said.
The country is expected to attract 435,000 international tourists this year, up by 11 percent from the previous year, according to a study of World Travel and Tourism
Council (WTTC), a London-based research organisation.
"It is clear that the growth in travel and tourism demand from emerging markets continues with pace, as large rising middle classes, especially from Asia and Latin America, are willing and more able than ever to travel both within and beyond their borders," the WTTG said.
Tourism will be a growing industry for Bangladesh, said Kazi Akram Liddin, president of Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry.
"We have the world's longest beach. We should tap the potential of the industry like other countries."
gazitowhid@gmail.com