Bangladesh is a country with immense potential in the tourism industry. If the tourism industry of this country is taken a little more serio...
Bangladesh is a country with immense potential in the tourism industry. If the tourism industry of this country is taken a little more seriously, then it will be possible to earn a lot of foreign currency from the tourism industry.
Who doesn't dream of building a beautiful career by being educated in higher education? The population continues to grow over time. In line with this, new departments are being opened in public and private universities to meet the educational needs of the students. The Department of Tourism and Hospitality Management is one such department.
There are many familiar tourist attractions in Bangladesh. Many travelers have been fascinated by the natural beauty of Bangladesh for ages. Bangladesh has archeological monuments, historical mosques, the longest beaches in the world, mountains, forest lands, etc. The natural beauty of this country has won the hearts of tourists since ancient times. Each area of Bangladesh is specialized in different unique features. Cox's Bazar, the longest beach in the world, has the highest number of tourists. Therefore, it is very important to spread tourism education in Cox's Bazar.
Rows and rows of jhaoban, soft bed of sand, huge sea in front. If you go to Cox's Bazar, who wouldn't want to walk on the beach in the morning and afternoon. The mesmerizing view of the blue waters and the roar of the roaring attracts everyone. Cox's Bazar is the largest beach in the world. Maheshkhali, Kutubdia, Sonadia, Matar Bari, Shahpari, St. Martin's, Cox's Bazar have been made more attractive and eye-catching. The rivers Mata Muhuri, Bankkhali, Reju, Kuhelia and Naf flow through this district. Cox's Bazar's location for tourism, forest resources, fish, dried fish, snails, oysters and silica-rich sand is therefore one of the top for tourists. And this Cox's Bazar has a huge potential for the tourism industry. Adequate knowledge on this subject is required to make use of this possibility. So tourism education has opened the door to a huge potential for the youth of Cox's Bazar.
The tourism sector has immense potential.
Tourism is called ‘invisible export product’. There is no limit to employment, investment and income. About 80 percent of Mexico and Indonesia's total export earnings come from the tourism sector. Last year, the tourism sector accounted for 9.3 percent of the world's total employment. By developing tourism, many countries like Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Maldives, Tunisia have been able to strengthen the foundation of the national economy by eliminating unemployment and earning foreign exchange. However, despite being one of the most tourism friendly countries in the world, Bangladesh is at the bottom of the tourism industry due to lack of proper planning and management. According to the World Economic Forum (WEF) 'Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report-2018', Bangladesh ranks 125th out of 137 countries. Although Bangladesh Tourism Board-BTB was established in 2010 to develop tourism, there has been no long-term plan for tourism in the last nine years. The development of the country's tourism industry is limited to rallies and meetings and seminars on various days related to tourism.
According to a 2019 report by the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), 10.4 percent of the world's GDP last year came from the travel and tourism sector. The sector's contribution to the Asia-Pacific region was ৯ 2,939 billion, or 9.9 percent of the total economy. The employment in tourism was 179.6 million, which is 9.3 percent of the total employment. One in every five new jobs has been created in the tourism sector in the last five years. In 2017, international tourists spent ৯ 529 billion in the region, which is 8.3 percent of total export earnings. Eighty-one percent of international tourists travel for leisure, the rest for business. Although the company did not publish any report on Bangladesh this year, the 2016 report found that 10.4 percent of global GDP in 2016 came from tourism, compared to 2.2 percent in Bangladesh. Tourism accounted for 9.9 percent of the world's total employment, compared to 1.8 percent in Bangladesh. Meanwhile, in 2016, Thailand earned 53 billion US dollars from foreign tourists, while Bangladesh's income was only 0.23 billion dollars. The income of Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Myanmar from foreign tourists was several times more than that of Bangladesh. According to the Bangladesh Bank, the income from foreign tourists has increased by 0.2 percent last year. It is hoped that in the near future the number of jobs from the tourism industry in our country will increase further.
And Cox's Bazar City College, located in the heart of Cox's Bazar, has given us the opportunity to take advantage of the tourism potential in Cox's Bazar. The BBA course on Tourism and Hospitality for a period of 4 years has been started in this college under the National University since 2015. The course is offered in only nine colleges under the National University, including Cox's Bazar City College. This course is also available in several universities including Dhaka University. Since the potential of this industry is much higher in the future, this course should be introduced in more educational institutions.
Since our Cox's Bazar is a heart of tourism, it is very logical to introduce this course on tourism education at Cox's Bazar City College. Thousands of foreign tourists come to our Cox's Bazar every day to travel. Travel guides are needed to guide them in the right direction and back to different places. But the number of travel guides in Cox's Bazar is less than we need. That is why there is a huge opportunity for employment in this sector. One can easily engage oneself in this profession through tourism education. This profession will be very fruitful especially for those who are very thirsty for travel. There will be income as well as travel. The Cox's Bazar to Teknaf Marine Drive road makes it easy to enjoy the scenic view of the sea and mountains in an open jeep.
Tourism education has provided many opportunities for employment of girls. At present, girls are given more priority in various high quality hotels, motels and restaurants. In that case, tourism education is very important for creating self-employment for girls.
In the current job market, getting a job has become a very rare thing. But one can easily get a job by completing the course of Tourism and Hospitality Management or run a travel agency with a few like-minded friends. It will also be a good income and travel for peace of mind. In a word, this profession is very useful for those who are interested in living an independent life.
We had never had a chance to study tourism in Cox's Bazar before. But now with the introduction of BBA course in this field for the welfare of Cox's Bazar City College, a huge opportunity has opened up for the youth of the area. The number of travel guides in our Cox's Bazar is much less than the number of tourists. This profession will make a huge contribution to the progress of the country in the near future. Already in developed countries this profession has been recognized as a very interesting profession. In a few years, this profession will be very prosperous in our country. So there is a lot of demand for travel guides in this sector in our country now and will be much more prosperous in the future.
Bangladesh is said to be the queen of natural and heritage resources. There are many places in the country and there is an opportunity to make the tourism sector better by using them. And many famous star hotels and resorts are being built around these tourist places. These places cannot be managed well without skilled staff. Foreign tourists come less due to lack of adequate tourist guides and hotel servicing officers. There are even opportunities to do well abroad by working in this profession. So this profession is very important in our country. If you can build a career in this profession, it will be possible to play a role in the development of the country's economy along with your own employment.
Author: Md. Tareq Aziz
Cox's Bazar
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