Agartala:Encouraged by the initiative of Bangladesh Foundation for Tourism Development (BFTD), Tripura govern-ment has proposed to deve-lop a sub-regional tourism circuit linking northeastern states.
BFTD and Bangladesh Inbound Tour Operators Association have orga-nized a four-day tourism festival Maitri Tourism 2014 in Tripura to boost tourism between Bangladesh and Tripura, which is concluded on Monday.
The tour operators have held road shows in all important tourist destina-tions of the state during the festival that showcased the tourism potential and facilities for the tourist in Bangladesh besides cross border cultural activities for further strengthening people to people contact between two countries.
Participating the event on Monday Tripura Tourism Minister Ratan Bhowmik proposed the tour operators to contemplate for sub-regional tourism circuit India, Bangladesh and Myanmar to encourage cost-effective cross border tourism and cultural relations.
“Northeastern states and Myanmar have close similarities of land and geography and life-style while Bangladesh has also similarities of language, food and cultural with a large portion of Northeastern region, which can opened up an opportunity for developing a tourism circuit,” Mr Bhowmik said.
He however, pointed out through tourism; people to people contact would be more closure and it would help economic development of entire region adding that modified look east policy of Govt of India – act east policy also contemplates the same frame work.
Maitri Tourism aimed to encourage tourists of India and Bangladesh to visit places of interest in both the countries at an affordable cost and to establish tourism networks between two countries,” said H M Hakim Ali, president BFTD who led the 15-member delegation from Bangla-desh.
“Tourism is the second biggest and fastest growing industry across the globe and we want to grow up with rest of the world but we need to liberalization of tourism tax and visa process to further develop the tourism industry among all the neighbouring countries,” Mr Ali said. (UNI)