Delay in issuing visas has been a major issue on both sides of the India-Bangladesh border, leading to a lot of inconvenience for visitors and tourists. The Sheikh Hasina government in Bangladesh is now working on a plan to introduce the online E- Visa system, which is expected by the end of this year. In recent times many countries have started providing visa free access in a bid to boost tourism, like Sri Lanka, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore etc and Vietnam and Indonesia are also planning to go that route soon.

The Bangladesh government is working on the introduction of the e-Visa proposal, which is in an early stage. It has also not been finalised which countries will get the benefit. In an interview to The Statesman, Sanjeeda Sharmin, deputy secretary of ministry of civil aviation and tourism of the government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh has informed that the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed has undertaken several measures to boost the tourism sector in the country and the Padma Setu has already become a game changer. “Our government has framed a new Draft Tourism Master Plan to further boost tourism and has prepared a project based on 14 themes, spread over 8 zones of the country and 1498 spots have been identified.

The tourism destinations in the river areas will be developed in a phase wise manner,” she added. She led a Bangladeshi delegation which was in Kolkata for the recently held Travel and Tourism Fair. Taharin Touhida, assistant director (administration) of Bangladesh Tourism Board and National Tourism Organisation, which is under the ministry of civil aviation and tourism accompanied her. Ms Sharmin further said that the Bangladesh government is keen to introduce cruise tourism among the neighbouring South East Asian countries like India and Sri Lanka and is working upon a plan. Besides it has also plans to start a Buddhist Tourism Circuit connecting with India and Thailand. She has also said that both India and Bangladesh are culturally and geopolitically well connected. People of both sides of ‘Epar Bangla’ and ‘Opar Bangla’ love each other’s cuisines.

Two major airports of Bangladesh are getting renovated and the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport is undergoing a massive renovation and will be set up like the Changi Airports of Singapore. It is tipped to change the international airspace scenario of the country, and is expected to be completed by the end of 2024. Also the Cox Bazar domestic airport is undergoing a renovation and is expected to be finished in 2025. Both these airports will boost domestic and international air connectivity and help tourism. There are two own five star hotels of the Bangladesh government besides thousands of hotels spread all around Bangladesh. Focus is also given on development of spiritual tourism destinations. People from India often visit the coral island of St. Martin during the months of November to April and Haor ( a wetland ecosystem in the north eastern part of Bangladesh) during the monsoon season, she added. The Sylhet forests and Ratargul Forests also draw huge tourist footfalls. The Mango festival is very popular in Rajshahi, which is known as the mango capital of Bangladesh. And to promote gastronomy tourism Bangladesh Tourism Board organises in Dhaka the famous Bangladesh Food Festival, where authentic Bangladeshi cuisine is served. The Mango festival was held on 6 and 7 July this year at Rajshahi.

The Dussehra festival takes place in eight zones. In Moinamoti , Paharpur, Somapura Mahavidyalaya (where Buddhist monks used to study many centuries ago) are being revived.“Besides upgrading the basic infrastructure of our tourism spots we are also taking part in road shows to boost the tourism of the country,”she added.