As countries open their doors to tourists after corona pandemic being contend across the world, over 5 lakh Bangladeshis are expected to enjoy their holidays in overseas countries before and after Eid-ul-Fitr this year, sources in the Bangladesh Tourism Board, Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation (BPC) and Tour Operators Association of Bangladesh (TOAB).
Rezaul Ekram, proprietor and CEO of Entourage BD, while talking to Bangladesh Post last week, said some 5 lakh Bangladeshis have visited neighbouring India, Nepal, the Maldives, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, Singapore, UAE, USA, Canada, Australia and the UK.
Rezaul Ekram, also Bangladesh Chapter President of South Asia Tourism Federation, said as Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand and Brunei have lifted restrictions on entry of vaccinated foreign tourists, some 30,000 Bangladeshis are expected to visit some Southeast Asian countries during Eid vacation.
The international travel bans during the corona pandemic period in 2020 and 2021 saw outbound tourists at almost zero during Eid vacations. After two years, Bangladeshis will enjoy Eid vacation during this festival.
Singapore fully reopened its borders to all vaccinated visitors from April 1, 2022 after a two-year corona virus closure, with arrivals saying it felt "wonderful" to travel again without onerous restrictions.
The aviation hub, a key gateway for people arriving in Asia, joins other countries in the region that have recently dropped travel curbs as they shift to living with Covid-19.
Previously, only travellers from a handful of places could enter Singapore without quarantining but from Friday all vaccinated arrivals just need a negative Covid test.
The country has witnessed a new generation of middle-class consumers who love to enjoy holiday with their family members at home and abroad during vacation.
Travellers visit India, Nepal, Bhutan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Saudi Arabia.
Bangladesh is one of the top growing economies in the present world, and the GDP growth may surpass 9.00 per cent after the completion of some major projects like Padma Multipurpose Bridge (PMB) and Metro Rail
projects.
Bangladesh will soon become an upper middle-income country, as the government has been implementing massive development projects in light of the "Vision 2021" and "Vision 2041".
With visa processing being eased by India over the years, the number of Bangladeshi tourists has jumped to the neighbouring country. In 2019, over 2.50 million Bangladeshis visited India, sources in the India Tourism Board said.
Bangladesh can mull over replicating success stories of the hospitality and tourism industry of Malaysia, Indonesia, the Maldives, India, Vietnam and Sri Lanka to give a boost to the national economy, said a high official of the Hotel Intercontinental Dhaka
