Bangladesh saw a significant decline in the arrival of tourists from abroad in the aftermath of the pandemic. However, recent data indicates that the country’s tourism industry is showing signs of recovery. Bangladesh Tourism Board (BTB) has recently conducted an analysis highlighting the impacts of Covid-19 on tourist numbers as well as the challenges faced by the tourism sector.
Bangladesh was witnessing a steady rise in foreign tourists before the pandemic arose, with the country having welcomed some 5.53 lakh tourists in 2018. In 2018, the number of foreign travellers rose to about 6.21 lakh, indicating a year-on-year growth of around 12 per cent. But when the pandemic was at its peak in 2020, just 1.82 lakh tourists arrived from abroad, representing a staggering decline of about 71 per cent compared to the previous year. The decline continued in 2021, with the number foreign visitors further dwindling to roughly 1.35 lakh, down by some 26 per cent from the year prior. The situation eventually started improving last year, when Bangladesh saw a remarkable rebound in international tourism.
In 2022, the country saw the arrival of about 5.29 lakh foreign tourists, signalling a significant year-on-year growth of around 292 per cent. This recovery brought hope to entrepreneurs related to the local tourism industry, which suffered huge losses due to the coronavirus outbreak. Rebranding Bangladesh as a safe and liberal society is a must and for that political situation must be improved first. We cannot call foreigners a place where violent political culture overran all positive achievement and the law and order situation deteriorated.
Experts believe the tourism sector is returning to normalcy, which will eventually contribute to foreign reserves. Bangladesh has the world’s longest sea beach, Sundarbans mangrove forest and scenic areas such as Sylhet. There are numerous attractions to draw tourists. Now, we need to rebrand Bangladesh as an attractive tourist destination and the facilities need to improve.
