Bangladesh focuses on international tourism in new budget

The proposed budget for the 2015-16 fiscal has put thrust on development of the tourism sector in Bangladesh.

Finance Minister AMA Muhith presented a Tk 3 trillion budget on Thursday that eyes a 7 percent growth and emphasises revenue collection. 
 
Bangladesh has declared 2016 as the ‘Tourism Year’ to revitalise the sector.
 
Muhith said local tourists would play an important role and added that the government was taking steps to improve facilities.
 
“We will take initiatives to increase the number of international tourists to one million and income from this sector to $200 million by 2018,” he said.
 
The government has taken a number of steps to expand the eco-tourism industry, the minister said.
 
“We have opened the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Safari Park with international standard facilities at Gazipur and Sheikh Russel Aviary and Eco Park in Chittagong,” he said.
 
A site had been chosen to establish an eco-park in Sylhet, which will soon be opened. The Sundarban Tourism Policy had been approved, Muhith added.
 
About the aviation sector, he said steps had been taken to improve the capacity of Shahjalal International Airport.
 
Process to add several ‘new generation’ aircraft to the fleet of Biman Bangladesh Airlines to augment the capacity and improve the standard of services was underway, he said.
 
Muhith said the government planned to construct two new airports to be named after Khan Jahan Ali and Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.