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ordinance and approved it autocratically,” he said.

“On the very day this ordinance is implemented, about 30 lakh skilled workers employed in the travel and tourism sector, Hajj agencies and recruiting agencies will become jobless,” he added.

He said around 6,000 travel agencies, 1,400 Hajj agencies and 2,700 recruiting agencies will be at risk.

“Under the new ordinance, travel agencies must be connected to IATA’s ticket-selling platform. However, of the currently around 6,000 licensed travel agencies in the country, only about 1,000 are linked to IATA. As a result, on the day the ordinance is implemented, the remaining travel agencies will effectively be forced to shut down their business,” Morshed said.

He said agent-to-agent (B2B) business is a global practice, but the ordinance would shut it down in Bangladesh, as the law will not allow purchase or sale of tickets between travel agencies.

“As a result of banning B2B, every travel agency must obtain IATA accreditation, which costs about Tk 30 lakh. In addition, another Tk 22 lakh must be deposited for Biman Bangladesh Airlines tickets. Since 90 percent of travel agencies do not have this amount of money, all of them will shut down,” he said.

Earlier on October 13, Civil Aviation and Tourism Adviser Sk Bashir Uddin said the new law is aimed at ensuring transparency in ticket sales and improving passenger services.