Bangladesh’s government is drawing up a 20-year roadmap for its tourism sector, combining a new Tourism Master Plan, an updated national policy, 1,498 identified attractions and a pipeline of development projects aimed at turning the country’s scattered tourism resources into a more organised industry.
Officials expect the Tourism Master Plan to be finalised by October, with approval potentially following in November. Once in place, it’s intended to provide a long-term framework covering destination development, investment, infrastructure, promotion and coordination between the various government agencies involved in tourism. Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister M Rashiduzzaman Millat said the 1,498 identified attractions span natural, cultural, historical and religious sites, and that the government wants to bring them under a planned, sustainable development framework.
Running alongside the master plan is a policy overhaul. The government is replacing the National Tourism Policy 2010 with a new National Tourism Policy 2026. Barrister Mutasim Billah Faruqui, chief executive officer of the Bangladesh Tourism Board, said the updated policy will prioritise sustainable and regenerative tourism, private investment, public-private partnerships, and stronger international promotion, while also supporting community-based and cultural tourism and encouraging the use of AI and smart technologies in hospitality. Community-based tourism guidelines are also being prepared to ensure local communities benefit directly from development.
On the project side, the Bangladesh Tourism Board has submitted 20 proposals for the 2026-27 Annual Development Programme, with a combined estimated cost of around Tk909 crore ($76mn). The proposals span ecotourism, heritage tourism, blue tourism, tea tourism and cultural attractions, touching destinations including Tanguar Haor, Nikli Haor, Old Dhaka, Sompur Mahavihara, and coastal areas across Barishal, Patuakhali, Bhola, Satkhira, Khulna and Bagerhat, alongside improved facilities at Kuakata, Patenga and Anwara beaches, homestays, lifeguard services, a national tourism hotline and a national tourism database. Separately, the Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation has proposed 60 development projects worth close to Tk19,000 crore ($1.59bn), drawn from the same list of 1,498 attractions.
Parjatan Corporation Chairman Md Shamimuzzaman said successful implementation of the proposed projects could lift tourism’s contribution to the national economy to between 8% and 10%, and potentially double the sector’s current workforce of around 24 lakh (2.4mn) people, while also strengthening rural economies beyond the major cities.
Academics and industry figures, however, caution that identifying attractions and drafting plans will only go so far without matching infrastructure. Nusrat Jahan, associate professor at the University of Dhaka’s Department of Tourism and Hospitality Management, told Daily Sun that inadequate infrastructure remains a major constraint on the country’s tourism potential, pointing to roads, food services, sanitation and accommodation as factors still holding back many otherwise attractive destinations. She also called for greater involvement from universities and researchers in tourism planning and stronger coordination across government, academia, private operators and local communities.
On the private sector side, Md Masud Hossain, managing director of The Bengal Tours Ltd, told Daily Sun that a master plan alone won’t be enough to transform the sector, and that the government needs to identify tourism products, bring them up to international standards, and promote them directly in target source markets through roadshows, tourism fairs and Bangladesh’s diplomatic missions abroad. He said promotion remains one of the biggest gaps for inbound tourism.
The government is also working to close gaps in tourism data. Md Mazharul Islam, deputy director for statistics, research and planning at the Bangladesh Tourism Board, said the Board is working with the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics to build a Tourism Satellite Account aligned with UN Tourism standards, intended to measure tourism’s GDP contribution and track domestic tourist numbers, movement and spending. Separately, the Board has begun coordinating with immigration authorities, recently running a joint two-day tourism orientation programme for the first time, aimed at making immigration processes smoother for international visitors.