Bangladesh is seeking 100 international tour operators and tourism partners to promote river cruising and heritage travel ahead of the centenary of the paddle steamer PS Mahsud in 2028, the campaign’s organisers said at WTM London on November 3.
The “100 Years • 100 Global Partners” campaign uses the 1928 steamer to pitch Bangladesh’s rivers to the international trade, as the country works through a 20-year tourism master plan. Organisers are inviting tour operators, travel agencies, destination management companies and tourism associations to sign up.
Muhammad Abdul Muhith, Bangladesh’s High Commissioner to the UK, launched the campaign at the Bangladesh Tourism Board pavilion at ExCeL London.
A year-long programme of promotion, networking, partnerships and destination marketing will run under the theme “Bangladesh – The Riverine Soul of South Asia” and the message “PS Mahsud: 100 Years on the River”, building up to the centenary.
Borhan Uddin, executive director of River & Green Tours, which operates the steamer, and managing director of NRB Vistara, invited international operators to join the campaign and said international collaboration was key to connecting Bangladesh’s river tourism with global markets.
The campaign is run by River & Green Tours in association with NRB Vistara.
PS Mahsud, built in 1928, is one of Bangladesh’s historic paddle steamers, which have carried passengers on the country’s rivers for generations. River & Green Tours is a Bangladeshi tour operator focused on river and heritage travel.
