The Economy of Tourism in Bangladesh
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The Economy of Tourism in Bangladesh Sakib Bin Amin The Economy of Tourism in Bangladesh Prospects, Constraints, and Policies Sakib Bin Amin Department of Economics School of Business and Economics North South University Dhaka, Bangladesh ISBN 978-3-030-72899-1 ISBN 978-3-030-72900-4 (eBook) https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-72900-4 © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, expressed or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. This Palgrave Macmillan imprint is published by the registered company Springer Nature Switzerland AG The registered company address is: Gewerbestrasse 11, 6330 Cham, Switzerland To My Parents Acknowledgements Publishing a book on the Bangladesh tourism industry has been my long- cherished dream, and I am very thankful to the Almighty for giving me the opportunity and strength to finish this book. While preparing for an undergraduate assignment at Dhaka University in 2001, I realised the necessity of a complete book on the Bangladesh tourism industry covering different aspects of the industry, highlighting its economic importance, barriers, and policies. Almost after 2 decades, my dreams have come to a reality in 2021, when Bangladesh proudly celebrates the 50 years of independence. I like to express my gratitude to my loving parents Mr. S. M Aminur Rahman and Mrs. Akhter Jahan Selima Aziz, for their unconditional and endless love, care, support, and encourage- ment throughout my life. I thank my wife Sameena Shahzadi, my sister Tanjila Amin Bintu, my niece Tabiah Wania Khan for their support. I am also thankful to Dr. Laura Marsiliani, Dr. Thomas Renström, Professor Tooraj Jamasb, Professor Ricardo Raineri, Professor Gurkan Kumbaro˘glu, Professor Fehmi Karasio˘glu, Professor Parantap Basu, Dr. Rabindra Nepal, Dr. Farhad Taghizadeh, Dr. Manuel Llorca, Dr. Agnirup Sarkar, Dr. Birsen Bulut Solak, Dr. Syed Manzoor Ahmed, Dr. S. vii viii Acknowledgements M. Zahid Iqbal, and Dr. Mainul Islam Chowdhury for their constant encouragement. I am also grateful to Mr. Monwar Islam, Chairman of Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission, Professor Abul Barkat, Pres- ident, Bangladesh Economic Association, Dr. Bazlul Haque Khondker, Chairman, SANEM for their affection and encouragement. I want to show my fullest gratitude to the Chairman and other members of the Board of Trustees, North South University (NSU), Bangladesh for their relentless hard work to enhance research-oriented activities at NSU. I would like to thank the Vice-Chancellor, Pro-Vice- Chancellor, Dean (SBE), the senior management team, and the Accred- itation Project Team (APT) of NSU, Bangladesh, for their continuous support. Thanks go to all my colleagues and students at NSU, Bangladesh, and Durham University Business School (DUBS), UK, to always be supportive. My deepest thanks go to Nejc Jus (WTTC), Laura Delgado Álvarez (UNWTO), Farhana Shahnaz, Shah Zahidur Rahman, Bismi Samia Iqbal, Juhi Jannat, and Mahatab Kabir Khandaker. My Research Assistants, Mr. Farhan Khan and Mr. Foqoruddin Al Kabir, deserve more than gratitude for their hard work and support to complete this book. I like to thank the reviewers for their valuable comments towards improving the manuscript. My heartiest gratitude goes to the friendly Springer team, Jessica Harrison, Shreenidhi Natarajan, and Shukkanthy Siva for their helpful advice in publishing this book. Finally, I like to acknowledge my only son Sabir Amin, who inspires me all the time. Contents 1 Introduction 1 References 8 2 Different Forms of Tourism in Bangladesh 11 2.1 Introduction 11 2.1.1 Tourism Definition 11 2.1.2 Domestic Tourism 12 2.1.3 International Tourism 14 2.2 Different Forms of Tourism in Bangladesh 14 2.2.1 Heritage Tourism 14 2.2.2 Religious Tourism 18 2.2.3 Sports Tourism 22 2.2.4 Seaside Tourism 25 2.2.5 Tea Tourism 26 2.2.6 Rural Tourism 28 2.2.7 Eco-Tourism 29 2.2.8 Other Tourism in Bangladesh 30 2.3 Conclusion 35 References 36 ix x Contents 3 A Brief History and Overview of Tourism in Bangladesh 39 3.1 Background 39 3.2 Tourism in Central Bangladesh 41 3.2.1 Central Shaheed Minar (Monument of Language Martyrs) 41 3.2.2 National Martyrs’ Memorial (Symbol of Sacrifice and Valour) 44 3.2.3 Mausoleum of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman 45 3.2.4 Ahsan Manzil 46 3.2.5 Lalbagh Fort 47 3.2.6 Bangabandhu Memorial Museum 48 3.2.7 Panam City in Sonargaon 49 3.2.8 Bhawal Rajbari in Gazipur 50 3.2.9 Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Safari Park 50 3.2.10 Nikli Haor 51 3.2.11 Susang Durgapur in Netrokona 51 3.3 Tourism in Eastern Bangladesh 52 3.3.1 Cox’s Bazar (Longest Sandy Sea Beach) 52 3.3.2 St. Martin’s Island (the Coral Island) 54 3.3.3 Chittagong Hill Tracts 54 3.3.4 Shalban Bihar in Mainamati 58 3.3.5 Mainamati War Cemetery 59 3.3.6 Nijhum Dwip 60 3.3.7 Tourism in Sylhet Division 60 3.4 Tourism in Northern Bangladesh 68 3.4.1 Paharpur 68 3.4.2 Mahasthangarh 70 3.4.3 Ramsagar Lake (Dighi) and Ramsagar National Park 71 3.4.4 Chalan Beel 72 3.4.5 Other Archaeological Tourist Attractions 72 3.5 Tourism in Southern Bangladesh 73 3.5.1 Sundarbans 74 3.5.2 Kuakata 75 Contents xi 3.5.3 Sixty Dome Mosque 76 3.5.4 Fakir Lalon Shah Shrine 77 3.6 Conclusion 78 References 82 4 Economic Prospects of Tourism Industry in Bangladesh 83 4.1 Background 83 4.2 Economic Prospects of Tourism Industry in Bangladesh 87 4.3 Empirical Analysis 97 4.4 Conclusion 109 References 110 5 Barriers to Tourism Industry in Bangladesh and the Way Forward 115 5.1 Background 115 5.2 Social Barriers 117 5.2.1 Lack of Community Development 117 5.2.2 Safety and Security Issues 118 5.2.3 Large Share of Unskilled Labours 119 5.2.4 Political Unrest 120 5.2.5 Image Crisis and Failure to Promotion and Marketing 121 5.3 Institutional Barriers 122 5.3.1 Policy Biasedness 123 5.3.2 Lack of Destination Services and Facilities 125 5.3.3 Lack of Research and Development (R&D) 127 5.3.4 Carrying Capacity and Resource Management in Tourism 128 5.3.5 Coordination Problem 130 5.3.6 Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) 131 5.4 Proposed Policies to Overcome the Barriers 132 5.5 Conclusion 132 References 134 xii Contents 6 Role of Government and the Private Sector in Bangladesh Tourism 139 6.1 Introduction 139 6.2 Role of Government in Tourism Development in Bangladesh 141 6.3 Private Sector Participation in Tourism Industry in Bangladesh 146 6.4 Conclusion 152 References 153 7 An Overview of South Asian Tourism Industry and Significance of the Regional Tourism Integration 157 7.1 Introduction 157 7.2 Overview of Tourism in Five Neighbouring South Asian Countries 162 7.3 Prospects of Regional Tourism in South Asia 170 7.4 Barriers for Regional Tourism in South Asia 174 7.5 Conclusion 175 References 176 8 Tourism and Globalisation Nexus in Bangladesh 179 8.1 Introduction 179 8.2 Dynamic Simulation Framework 184 8.3 Analysis from the Dynamic Simulation 188 8.3.1 Tourism and Globalisation 189 8.3.2 Tourism and Energy Consumption 190 8.3.3 Tourism and Environment 191 8.3.4 Tourism and Renewable Energy 193 8.4 Conclusion and Policy Recommendations 194 References 196 9Conclusion 201 References 204 Appendix A 205 Contents xiii Appendix B 223 Appendix C 225 Index 231 About the Author Dr. Sakib Bin Amin is an Associate Professor in the Department of Economics, School of Business and Economics, and the Director of the Accreditation Project Team (APT) at North South University, Bangladesh. He holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Durham Univer- sity (UK). Dr. Sakib was the receiver of the Commonwealth Ruther- ford Fellowship (2017–2018) for conducting his postdoctoral research at Durham University (UK). Previously, Dr. Sakib received his bache- lors’ and masters’ degrees in Economics from Dhaka University, securing first class in both. He also holds a masters’ degree in International Economics from the University of Essex (UK). Dr. Sakib is a fellow of the Higher Education Academy (HEA) and a life member of the Bangladesh Economic Association (BEA). His research focuses on energy and tourism policy in developing countries. He is the first and lead author of the book, titled Energy Resources in Bangladesh: Trends and Contemporary Issues, published by Springer International in 2019.