PM Hasina calls for promoting Islamic tourism globally

Prime minister Sheikh Hasina has called for efforts to promote Islamic tourism globally to attract tourists to the countries under the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, or OIC.

She made the call while opening two-day official celebrations of ‘Dhaka as the OIC City of Tourism 2019’ at a city hotel on Thursday.

Last year, the OIC declared Dhaka as the OIC City of Tourism at the tenth Islamic conference of tourism ministers.

Referring to a report of 2018, the prime minister said the number of Muslim tourists will rise to 180 million by 2020 from 156 million. By 2020, the Muslims will account for 26 percent of the world’s population.

 “A Thomson-Reuters report says that Muslim populations have globally spent a total of $151 billion on travel in 2015 (excluding Hajj and Umrah). Of the amount, OIC member states contributed $109 billion,” she said.

“So, we’ll have to make all-out efforts and a roadmap aimed at promoting Islamic tourism as a global business brand, which will attract tourists further,” she said.

Hasina stressed the need for taking necessary measures on involving private sector, simplifying visa process, trade enhancement, branding and improving quality in the development of tourism industry in the OIC grouping.

"The development of tourism sector can play a significant role in fulfilling our dreams. In this case, Islamic tourism is the most potential sector, where we’ve the opportunity to work together.”

The prime minister also highlighted several initiatives taken by the government to promote tourism in Bangladesh.