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The travel industry needs adequate policy and logistic support to revamp the business accordingly and the fair is an ideal platform to revamp the business of the affected stakeholders from the adversity of the pandemic, says ATAB Secretary General Abdus Salam Aref
Lenin Rahman with Jasmine Akter
In a bid to boost the tourism sector and economy of the country, the Association of Travel Agents of Bangladesh (ATAB) is going to organize a three-day long tourism expo in the name of Bangladesh International Travel and Tourism Expo (BITTE) 2022.
The business-boosting mechanism of the tourism sector will be held on December 1-3 this year at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre (BICC). “The aim of the three-day long expo is to attain further development of the country’s tourism sector because our tourism sector has the potentiality to ensure higher contribution to the countr
y’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP)”, told Abdus Salam Aref, Secretary General of ATAB to the Daily Tribunal while giving an exclusive interview at his ATAB office in the city yesterday.
Tourism stakeholders like airlines, travel agencies, tour operators, hotel motels, resorts, restaurants, and event management firms from at least 30 countries are expected to participate in the event, informed the ATAB leader.
The present committee of the Association of Travel Agents of Bangladesh is dedicated for the further development of the tourism sector, he mentioned.
ATAB has been working tirelessly for 45 years to take the travel and tourism sector of Bangladesh forward, he said adding that the upcoming expo is an ideal platform to boost the tourism sector through exchanging views and ideas with the overseas stakeholders, he added.
After a break of over two years, the long-awaited international travel and tourism fair, Dhaka Travel Mart, began at the Ball Room of Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel on Thursday.
The young and dynamic leader of the ATAB expressed his optimism that the upcoming expo is an effort to revamp the local tourism stakeholders from the pandemic stakeholders.
“Many stakeholders in the tourism sector including the hospitality and travel industry were forced to shut down their businesses from the pandemic adversity and I am hopeful that such an upcoming fair would bring a positive outcome for the affected stakeholders to revamp their business”, Aref mentioned.
Turning his attention toward the contemporary crisis of the tourism sector, the ATAB leader said that infrastructure development is a must for the further development of the tourism sector.
“We are failing to attract overseas tourists on a large scale mainly for lack of international standard tourism services. We are still lagging behind in ensuring the global standard services for overseas tourists which is the major obstacle in attracting the expected level of overseas tourists. The improved infrastructure can ensure number overseas tourists which would help generate more income for the government exchequer and the economy as well”, added the ATAB leader.
On the other hand, he also expressed his deep concern about the policy and logistic support of the government.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is committed to boosting the tourism industry and the Premier declared Tk 1,000 crore stimulus loan packages to revamp the business of the affected stakeholders. “I personally appreciated the role of the Premier for revamping the business and economy of the country, but it is very unfortunate that the actually affected stakeholders failed to gain such stimulus loan packages of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina”, Aref claimed. Commenting on the higher budgetary allocation, the ATAB leader has underscored the need for utilizing such in a fair manner to boost the tourism sector accordingly.
Talking about the tourism business boosting mechanism, the ATRAB leader Abdus Salam Aref said that Bangladesh needs more international standard airport services for the overall development of the country’s tourism industry.“We are missing many untapped opportunities from abroad because of international standard airports”, he added.
Mentioning the pandemic adversity, the Secretary General of ATAB said many travel agents have lost their financial capability to run their business accordingly. “If the government ensure adequate policy and logistic support for the affected stakeholders, it would helpful to regain the business of the travel industry”, he added.