The three-day tourism fair is scheduled to be held in Dhaka next month, amid apprehension over the ongoing political unrest.
Tour Operators Association of Bangladesh (TOAB) is set to host the Bangladesh Travel and Tourism Fair (BTTF) 2013 from December 12 to 14 at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre (BICC).
TOAB President Taufiq Uddin Ahmed announced the schedule of the largest international travel event of Bangladesh at press conference in Dhaka on Saturday.
The fair is to bring together local participants, business people from the tourism industry and other international participants from south Asian countries.
Participants are expected to promote their products and services to the visitors from 151 stalls to be set up at the fair venue. The local and foreign participants would have the privilege to take part at the seminars, press conferences and cultural shows on the sidelines.
Organisers expected the fair would be successful like previous occasions despite apprehension over the political unrest. “We would expect some political developments before the event,” an executive of the organisers told the Dhaka Tribune.
Association of Travel Agents of Bangladesh (ATAB) President S N Manzur Murshed told the press conference of the difficulties being faced by the country’s tourism industry due to the ongoing political turmoil. He urged the politicians to spare tourist transports from violence during the strikes.
He also urged the authorities to take steps for identifying tourist transports and having different coloured vehicle licence plates for the tourist transports, replicating the model already implemented in few of the neighbouring countries, including Nepal.
Regent Airways is going to be the airline partner of the fair for the first time in the country, Managing Director Mashruf Habib told the press conference.
Eastern Bank Limited is the title sponsor of the event, jointly supported by Bangladesh Tourism Board, Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation and The Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI).
Source: Dhaka Trinbune