Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Submitted to:
Feroz Ahmed
Professor
Submitted by:
S M Mazharul Islam
ID- 070351
Policy makers must implement a comprehensive tourism strategy so that local people, local
ngo’s and other stake holders can take part in decision making process. Strategy is also essential
for strategic decision making and decision implementation. More over pro-poor tourism is much
essential for natural conservation and wild life management. Southern region of Bangladesh is
facing huge environmental and economic crisis. Already its GDP is counted as less than country
average. Sustainable tourism can help to eradicate poverty in this area. One important aspect of
tourism development in this area is that it can attract not only foreign direct investments (FDI)
but also donor agencies. The biggest challenges would be to be free from beauracratic and
political hassle, formulate effective strategy and long term strategic plan and efficient utilization
of local resources and local participation.
I
Table of contents
21.0 How different tourism & Financial sectors can help Local
Entrepreneurs
Tourism is “activities of persons travelling to and staying in places outside their usual
environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes”
(WTO 2002). It has emerged from being a relatively small-scale activity into a global economic
phenomenon from the 1960sonward. Today, it is described as one of the world’s largest and
fastest growing economic sectors (UN1999; WTO 2002). According to the WTO, the growth of
international tourist arrivals significantly outpaces the growth of economic output as measured
by GDP. From 1975 to 2000, annual international tourist arrivals increased an average of 4.7 per
cent, while GDP grew 3.5 per cent. In 2004, 760 million people travelled internationally, a 10
per cent increase over the 691 million in 2003 (WTO 2005).Receipts from international tourism
has also grown steadily. In 2003, international tourism receipts totaled US$523 billion, a 6.5 per
cent increase over 2002. The WTO remains confident that international tourism will continue to
grow, and projects that visitor arrivals will reach an estimated 1.0billion by 2010 and 1.6 billion
by 2020.
Bangladesh is a country of vast, largely unknown and unspoiled natural beauty and reserves,
which are simply unique and fascinating. These natural phenomena are composed of hills and
vales, forests, rivers, lakes, sea and beaches, and the evergreen landscape embracing the country.
The topography is mainly flat alluvial plain, criss-crossed by the world’s three mighty river
systems, the Padma (Ganges), the Jamuna and the Meghna and their innumerable tributaries. The
east and the northeast of the country join India, and the southeastern part, adjoining Myanmar, is
mainly hilly with dense forest. This area comprises Chittagong and the three Hilly Districts (as
they are known) of Rangamati, Bandarban and Khagrachari, with an average elevation of 610 m.
These folded ranges run parallel to each other in the north–south direction and the hill slopes are
generally enveloped by dense virgin forest. In the south and southwest, alongside the coast of the
Bay of Bengal, lies the Sundarbans, better known as a swampy tropical mangrove forest, the
home of the Royal Bengal Tiger. These areas are all ideal for the expansion of tourism in the
country. Bangladesh is endowed with various tourist attractions which include archaeological
sites, mosques, temples, monuments, modern resorts and arrange of tours, including river cruises
and boating. Visitors to Bangladesh are invariably brought close to nature. Various tourism
facilities have been developed in many of the potential tourism areas by the Bangladesh Parjatan
(Tourism) Corporation and other government, semi-government and non-government agencies.
The Government of Bangladesh formulated a National Tourism Policy in February1992. The
main objective of this policy is to attract investment in tourism from the domestic private sector
as well as by foreign investors. The government encourages foreign investment in the sector,
either in the form of joint ventures or on a full foreign ownership basis. In order to encourage
investments, the government has put in place a number of incentives such as tax exemptions,
remittances of up to 50% of the salary of foreign staff, facilities for repatriation of savings and
retirement benefits, repatriation of capital and profits, and guarantees against nationalization.
Bangladesh is engaged in a continuous endeavor to integrate her ecotourism resources through
planning, management and appropriate use, based on the following principles: (i) optimum
multiple use of the resources; (ii) maximum sustainable use; and (iii) conservation and
development of natural resources. When we promote and sell our tourist products (for example,
theSundarbans, the Hilly Districts, Cox’s Bazaar) we have to make sure that the resources, such
as the forests with their numerous varieties of trees, plants, herbs and their animals are not
destroyed or overexploited. Obviously, tourist products should be used in such a way that they
are not going to be destroyed. Large numbers of tourists can be the cause of destruction.
Tourists, who unmindfully or without caring throw away their left-over food scraps and drinks,
leave behind synthetic articles or tin containers cause damage to the local environment and
eventually the earth. One way to handle such problems is to control tourist visits to each
particular product or place. Restrictions can be imposed on the number of tourists, and on how
they undertake their visit, before a site becomes overcrowded. It is a good idea to present a
particular tourist location at which there are a number of attractions. By doing this one can
spread the load while presenting variety to tourists. The Sundarbans is the world’s largest
mangrove forest. No infrastructure has been developed to provide tourists with food, lodging and
transport to the area. This vast waterway of reverie Bangladesh, and its reflection of local ways
of life, could become a major attraction for foreigners. However, there are no arrangements for
regular water transport allowing for safe travel through the waterways, and because of this its
potential ecotourism attractions have remained largely unexplored. A multidimensional,
comprehensive development plan needs to be prepared for the area.
Total population living in the southern is 35.1 million that represent 28 percent of total
population of the country. Population density in exposed coast is 482 persons per square
kilometer whereas the value is 1,012 for the interior coast. Average population density of the
zone is 743 per sq. km., and the same value for Bangladesh average is 839 Population densities
in interior coast is much higher than that of exterior coast and the country’s average. There are
about 6.8 million households in the zone of which 52 percent are absolute poor Fishing,
agriculture, shrimp farming, salt farming and tourism are the main economic activities in the
coastal area. The Sundarbans is a major source of subsistence for almost 10 million people. Main
activities in the Sundarbans area are fisheries, wood collection and honey collection. Almost ten
thousand households in the area have neither homestead land nor cultivable land. On the other
hand, more than a million households in the area have only homestead but no cultivable land
(Islam, 2004; p.136). Per capita gross domestic product (GDP) for the southern zone was
US$277, a little bit lower than that of national average (US$278), during the fiscal year 1999-
2000. Per capita GDP in Khulna is (US$352) GDP per capita in the coastal zone falls to US$235.
The lowest GDP per capita is in ghalkathi district, having a value of US$193. Per capita GDP is
higher in Khulna district because of industrialization in the area. Sixteen coastal districts’ GDP
per capita is below the national average because of environmental hazards and natural disasters.
Low GDP per capita and high population pressure reinforce each other, preventing people to get
out of the poverty. There is 35,712 km of roads in the coastal zone including the rural earthen
ways. But some of the remote areas of the zone are still inaccessible by road transport because of
the river network. For that reason water ways are the main transportation mode in eastern and
central coastal zone. Almost all small and big cities of the areas are connected with the capital
Dhaka by waterways. Salinity intrusion due to sea level rise will decrease agricultural production
by unavailability of fresh water and soil degradation.) investigated the loss of rice production in a
village of Satkhira district and found that rice production in 2003 was 1,151 metric tons less than
the year 1985, corresponding to a loss of 69 per cent. Out of the total decreased production, 77
per cent was due to conversion of rice field into shrimp pond and 23 per cent was because of
yield loss (A significant part of Bangladesh coast is sandy beaches that attract tourists. Kuakata
beach in Patuakhali district attracting the tourists of home and abroad. Out of 18 tourist areas
identified by Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation (BPC), namely Kuakata, Khulna and the
Sundarbans are located in the coastal zone). A study of Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation
suggests that 19 per cent of foreigners visiting Bangladesh are tourists, the rest visit Bangladesh
for business or other official purposes. At national level, tourism industry serves the nation with
economic development. At the local level, it helps to strength local economy, culture and
heritage. Sea level rise, by affecting this promising sector will affect the national economy and
heritage of Bangladesh. The Sundarbans will be completely lost with 1 metre sea level rise
(World Bank, 2000, p.63). Loss of the Sundarbans means great loss of heritage, loss of
biodiversity, loss of fisheries resources, loss of life and livelihood and after all loss of very high
productive ecosystem.
First pillar: Institutions The institutional environment forms the framework within which private
individuals, firms, and governments interact to generate income and wealth in the economy. The
institutional framework has a strong bearing on competitiveness and growth.
Second pillar: Infrastructure The existence of high-quality infrastructure is critical for ensuring
the efficient functioning of the economy, as it is an important factor determining the location of
economic activity and the kinds of activities or sectors that can develop in an economy. High-
quality infrastructure reduces the effect of distance between regions, with the result of truly
integrating the national market and connecting it to markets in other countries and regions.
Third pillar: Macro economy. The stability of the macroeconomic environment is important for
business and, therefore, is important for the overall competitiveness of a country.
Fourth pillar: Health and primary education healthy workforce is vital to a country’s
competitiveness and productivity. Workers who are ill cannot function to their potential, and will
be less productive. Poor health leads to significant costs to business, as sick workers are often
absent or operate at lower levels of efficiency.
Fifth pillar: Higher education and training Quality higher education and training is crucial for
economies that want to move up the value chain beyond simple production processes and
products
Sixth pillar: Goods market efficiency Countries with efficient goods markets are positioned to
Produce the right mix of products and services given supply-and-demand conditions, and such
markets also ensure that these goods can be most effectively traded in the economy.
Seventh pillar: Labor market efficiency, the efficiency and flexibility of the labor market are
critical for ensuring that workers are allocated to their most efficient use in the economy
Eighth pillar: Financial market sophistication .an efficient financial sector is needed to allocate
there sources saved by a nation’s citizens to its most productive uses. A proficient financial
sector channels resources to the best entrepreneurs or investment projects rather than to the
politically connected. A thorough assessment of risk is therefore a key ingredient
Ninth pillar: Technological readiness this pillar measures the agility with which an economy
adopts existing technologies to enhance the productivity of its industries.14 this is a critical
concept, as technological differences have been shown to explain much of the variation in
productivity between countries. In fact, the relative importance of technology adoption
formational competitiveness has been growing in recent years, as progress in the dissemination
of knowledge and the rising use of information and communication technologies (ICT) have
become increasingly widespread.
Tenth pillar: Market size the size of the market affects productivity because large markets allow
firms to exploit economies of scale. Traditionally, the markets available to firms have been
constrained by the borders of the nation. In the era of globalization, international markets have
become a substitute for domestic markets
Strengths
i. Natural Sea Beach
ii. Beautiful Scenery with Sea and forests
iii. Fresh Air and Healthy Atmosphere
iv. Clean Sky in most of the year with moon lit night
v. Tribal life in Kuakata
vi. Traditional life style of the villagers
vii. Scope for Adventurous Tour in the Sea
viii. Scope for tour to the Islands
ix. Scope for Ecotourism
x. Abundance of Cheap Sea Food
xi. Relatively Cheaper Hotel and Food
xii. Border with India and scope of traveling there by land and sea
xiii. Scope of easy traveling to Chittagong Hill Tracts by bus
xiv. Availability of varieties of imported and domestic goods in the shops
xv. Sea fishing
xvi. Islamic Culture and Hindu Culture
xvii. Local Cultural Activities of both Bengalis and Tribal people
xviii. Local game & Sports
Weaknesses
i. No freedom of movement of girls
ii. No recreational facilities
iii. No night entertainment
iv. Uncleanliness and dirt in the town and in the hotels
v. Lack of adequate security
vi. Lack of Safety in the bathing in the sea
vii. No arrangement for sun bathing
viii. Disturbance to the tourists
ix. No privacy
x. No park or sitting arrangement
xi. No dressing room or bath room facilities in the sea
xii. Lack of information necessary for the tourists
xiii. Absence of advertisement of Tourist attractions
xiv. Lack of tour guide
xv. No arrangement for local tour
xvi. No cultural functions or facilities
xvii. Language problem to interact with the local people
xviii. No separate and special treatment to the foreigners
xix. Cultural conflict with the tourists in respect of ways of enjoyment of life
Opportunity
Threats
i. Competition in recreational facilities of competing tour spots in the region
ii. Competition in quality delivery of sea beach facilities, hotel facilities, food,
entertainment and tour services from the regional suppliers
iii. Bad image of the country for tourism (as a cyclone prone and flood prone
country, conservative Muslim country, poor country and less known tourist
attractions)
iv. Availability of exclusive zone for foreign tourists in the competing country with
similar socio-cultural background (e.g. Maldives)
v. Threat from fundamentalist forces against the expansion of recreational facilities
(specially drinks and dance which are specially important for the foreign tourists)
vi. Fear of Western Tourists to travel to this country because of cultural conflicts in
the ways of enjoying life. They feel the fear of being disturbed by the local
people. This is more so specially for the women tourists to this country where
freedom of movement of girls is said to be restricted in a Muslim society.
5.0 Local Entrepreneurship
Local entrepreneurship is the single most important thing to pursue a pro-poor tourism strategy.
Most destructive thing for local people’s livelihood is the leakage. Local people can effectively
remove this hindrance by making strategic partnership with tourism providers.
Tourism is often praised for its potential to link with other sectors in the local economy. Yet in
innumerable cases, food and most other supplies and services are brought in from outside (from
distant cities or from overseas. Support work with local suppliers to develop the quality,
reliability and competitiveness of local products while supporting actions that change incentives
and attitudes in the business sector is essential to grow local entrepreneur skills. The number of
tourism jobs available to the poor is limited by their lack of skills, with the result that many jobs
are taken by better-skilled outsiders. There are also number of problems associated with the
quality of employment in the industry, including low pay, poor working conditions, insecurity,
seasonality, a high percentage of children in the workforce (10-15 per cent according to ILO),
and exploitation of workers, particularly women, children. Government can Support training in
hospitality skills, targeted at poor people, so they can compete for jobs; promote the development
and implementation of labor standards (e.g. ILO standards) within tourism; and support
initiatives aiming to reverse the growth child-labor (although note there is a difficult balance
between reducing exploitation and maintaining economic opportunities that are needed and
wanted by the poor). Small-scale, locally-run tourism enterprises can give the poor a direct stake
in the industry. However there are many barriers to participation in the industry, particularly lack
of credit, skills and marketing links, red tape and marginalization by government. Numerous
projects that have tried to develop local tourism enterprises have failed due to, for example,
short-term approaches, insufficient attention to product viability and marketing, and internal
community divisions. Strategies to enhance linkages must be incorporated into projects right
from the start. Many projects have expected linkages to emerge, but failed to create them.’
Specific opportunities for SMMEs need to be identified as part of the process of designing
developments and of allocating concessions’.
lanning gain can be used to create incentives for business The advantage of this approach is
P
that it avoids regulation, as business is free to decide their own strategy, while providing strong
incentives. The limitation is that it is only possible where there is competition between investors
for leases, and a lessor willing to priorities linkages as a selection criteria.
Setting up the linkages can help develop the local products.
Linkages require time consuming and detailed facilitation. Within the SDI initiative,
facilitating dialogue between formal sector tourism and local suppliers is regarded as critical.
Detail needs to be addressed – those facilitating linkages go through company accounts in detail
to spot opportunities for out-sourcing supplies.
Be commercially realistic. ,encouraging private sector change requires recognition as well as
incentives. Be careful and don’t put so much on them that they can no longer run the operation.
Change has to be gradual. Accept commitments to do more later.. It can well be argued that those
who lose most from tourism are those that are displaced from their land. Many others suffer
reduced access to natural resources and/or degradation of natural resources on which they
depend. Environmental mitigation measures do not necessarily identify the most important
tradeoffs with livelihoods, and how to minimize livelihood damage. Indeed some environmental
measures can conflict with livelihoods
Many of the disadvantages associated with tourism are actually characteristics of growth and
globalization. Many of the negative impacts that arise as a result of tourism development would
also occur with development in other sectors. For example, it is not clear from the data whether
the leakage effect and the supposed high level of foreign ownership, are greater problems in
tourism than in other sectors. (As regards ownership there can be confusion between
management companies for hotels and the actual ownership of those properties, so that is it is not
necessarily appreciated that the hotel is locally owned. Similar confusion can occur for franchise
arrangements e.g. of airlines, car rental and restaurants, where an international brand name
issued but ownership is within the country concerned.)Similarly, while there is no doubt that
tourism is vulnerable to swings in demand at country level(due to insecurity, recession or
hurricanes), it is not clear that volatility is any greater than volatility in prices and demand in
other exports, particularly commodity exports. It would seem therefore that many of the
difference between tourism and other sectors might be perceived rather than real. Tourism can be
perceived as a frivolous or elitist industry and hence is treated less seriously than other primary
industries by governments and donors. The classic stereotype of tourism – the juxtaposition
between the rich tourist and the poor local person –reinforces this perception.
Nevertheless, there are some characteristics which do seem particularly strong, if not unique, in
tourism. Among the disadvantages, tourism requires highly sophisticated marketing, which is
particularly difficult for poor producers, often involves more haphazard development than other
sectors and intense competition for natural resources with local residents (particularly in coastal
zones). Among the advantages:
Tourism is consumed at the point of production. Because the customer comes to the
product, opportunities for entrepreneurs to capitalize on linkages (e.g. tea selling) can be greater.
Most export industries depend on financial, productive and human capital. Tourism
wide resource base. Diversity makes it difficult to deal with a government or donor, but increases
the scope for wide participation, and for the informal sector. The potential of tourism compared
to other sectors should be considered in the light of the alternative opportunities available in any
location. Tourism is a traded-good, and whether it inappropriate to develop it in a particular
country depends on its comparative advantage. The debate about whether tourism is or isn’t pro-
poor cannot be decided here. The answer clearly depends on circumstance, so needs to be
assessed on a case by case basis before tourism is promoted for poverty objectives. A more
useful question is: how can tourism become more pro-poor? Given that tourism is already a fact
of life for many of the world’s poor, the challenge is to enhance the many positive impacts and
reduce costs to the poor. in a nutshell if we want to establish a pro-poor strategy , we have to
focus on ;-
Five types of pro-poor interventions at the local or destination level can be identified to build
partnership with stakeholders and implementing a common goal.
7.5: Tourism Improvements with Clear Potential Benefits for the Poor
There are several donor interventions that aim to improve tourism which are not
specifically targeted at the poor, but which have strong potential for benefiting them
(inclusive actions). These include:
improvement of working conditions (if targeted at the unskilled) –
promoted by ILO;
protected area management and park-based tourism (because many are
in economically depressed regions)
training and human resource development (if targeted at unskilled and
semi-skilled trades)
greening the industry (if the poor benefit from improved environmental
standards)
Porter’s (1979) five factor model for competitive analysis is done for southern reason of the
country based on tourism industry which is given below:
Factors Analysis
I. Competitive rivalry between Both government and private initiatives for
supplier developing entrepreneurial activities in tourism sector
should be utilized. Pricing on tour related activities
should be lower that that of neighboring countries &
other region of the country. The main competitor of
southern region would be west Bengal and eastern
sector of Bangladesh.
II. Threat of new entrants Low possibly for this threat. But the main threat is
that there is huge gap between tourism investment in
eastern region of the country (Chittagong, cox’s
bazaar) and southern region. Those eastern sectors
can invest in, innovate and provide new facilities
which can hindrance the tourism promotion effort in
this region.
III. Bargaining power of buyers To facilate the tourists and attract more in the initial
stage southern region will go for cost leadership.
Tourist will be well conversant about the facilities
and low price but high qualities.
IV. Bargaining power of suppliers Less risk because most suppliers will be local.
V. Substitutes products This can be overcome by extensive focus on tourist
experience sharing, providing them unique
opportunity to be a part of nature and moreover
Sundarbans is the best attracting place.
In general, the statistics show a very good and positive trend. This rate can be considered very
high for those countries that have already matured in the market, but for a new market entry, like
Bangladesh, the above growth rate is not very impressive.
By using the above data the projected number of tourist arrivals for the year 2010 and
2020 can be calculated with the help of regression analysis where, the model:
y = mx + b
Here, x is independent variable (year) and y is dependent variable (total number of
tourist arrivals)
By interpreting and solving this we get the value m = 15268.69 and b = -30314883and
then the model stands as: y = 15268.69 (x) -30314883 and the projected tourist
arrivals are 375,186 and 527,873 for the year 2010 and 2020 respectively subject to
the present trend remaining unchanged. The BPC forecast that Bangladesh will
receive 0.9 million tourists in 2020 seems very unrealistic.
Soon after the independence of Bangladesh, the government of the newborn state realized the
importance of tourism in its economic and social life. Therefore, the government decided to
reorganize the tourism sector (Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism, 2004) by combining both
the tourism department and the private corporation into one organization, bringing it under
government responsibility for better coordination, promotion, development and marketing
Consequently, the government established the National Tourism Organization (NTO) in the
name of Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation under Presidential Order No. 143, declared in
November 27, 1972. the structure of the tourism sector in Bangladesh is predominantly managed
by the public sector. The public sector has played a pioneering role in the development and
promotion of tourism in the country. Government involvement in the tourism sector is channeled
through BPC which is under the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism. To develop a sound
promotional base regarding tourism attraction in southern region Market research is an important
part of developing a market promotional plan. Several important pieces of information are needed to
develop a market plan for promotional tool. These include:
strategies to assist the poor producers to meet the requirements of EU Package Travel
Regulations;
d evelopment and dissemination of ‘good practice’ guidelines in PPT – these currently only
exist for ‘ecotourism’ and greening tourism;
promoting PPT on the agenda of CSD and other international processes, especially
highlighting the difference between PPT and current concepts of ‘sustainable tourism’ and
providing ideas on what can be done.4 priority strategies are
Differential impacts between poor groups, particularly the fairly poor and the poorest, can be
expected. The poor are more vulnerable to the main negative impacts, such as conflicts with
other livelihood strategies through loss of natural resources, and vulnerability due to local
inflation. They face the greatest barriers to seizing economic opportunities created by tourism.
Therefore net direct gains are more likely to be experienced by ‘the masses’ than the poorest.
However, in several countries and tourism areas, the masses fall below a dollar a day. Where
they don’t, poverty elimination according to international definitions will depend on economic
links between the ‘masses’ and the ‘poor.’ Few analyses assess the poverty status of those
affected by tourism, the impacts of tourism on poverty, or the distribution of impacts between
poor and less-poor local residents. Different segments and types of tourism can have
substantially different impacts. Limited evidence suggests that domestic/regional tourism and
independent travel can create proportionately more local economic opportunities than
international packaged tourism. The impacts of tourism are complex and may be positive and
negative, direct and indirect, economic and on-economic. The livelihoods framework helps to
illustrate how tourism can affect many components of poor people’s lives – their opportunities,
other livelihood strategies, and assets. Such impacts are not inevitable, will not all occur in each
place, and will affect different poor people within an area.
Economic impact What is the contribution of tourism activity to the economy of the
analysis region? traces the flows of spending associated with tourism activity
in a region to identify changes in sales, tax revenues, income, and
jobs due to tourism activity. The principal methods here are visitor
spending surveys, analysis of secondary data from government
economic statistics, economic base models, input-output models and
multipliers
Fiscal impact analysis Will government revenues from tourism activity from taxes, direct
fees, and other sources cover the added costs for infrastructure and
government services? Fiscal impact analysis identifies changes in
demands for government utilities and services resulting from some
action and estimates the revenues and costs to local government to
provide these services
Financial analysis Can we make a profit from this activity? A financial analysis
determines whether a business will generate sufficient revenues to
cover its costs and make a reasonable profit. It generally includes a
short-term analysis of the availability and costs of start-up capital as
well as a longer-range analysis of debt service, operating costs and
revenues. A financial analysis for a private business is analogous to
a fiscal impact analysis for a local government unit.
Demand analysis How will the number or types of tourists to the area change due to
changes in prices, promotion, competition, quality and quantity of
facilities, or other demand shifters? A demand analysis estimates or
predicts the number and/or types of visitors to an area via a use
estimation, forecasting or demand model. The number of visitors or
sales is generally predicted based on judgment (Delphi method),
historic trends (time series methods), or using a model that captures
how visits or spending varies with key demand determinants
(structural models) such as population size, distance to markets,
income levels, and measures of quality & competition
Benefit Cost analysis Which alternative policy will generate the highest net benefit to
(B/C) society overtime? A B/C analysis estimates the relative economic
efficiency of alternative policies by comparing benefits and costs
over time. B/C analysis identifies the most efficient policies from the
perspective of societal welfare, generally including both monetary
and non-monetary values. B/C analysis makes use of wide range of
methods for estimating values of non-market goods and services,
such as the travel cost method and contingent valuation method
Feasibility study Can/should this project or policy be undertaken? A feasibility study
determines the feasibility of undertaking a given action to include
political, physical, social, and economic feasibility. The economic
aspects of a feasibility study typically involve a financial analysis to
determine financial feasibility and a market demand analysis to
determine market feasibility. A feasibility study is the private sector
analogue of benefit cost analysis. The feasibility study focuses
largely on the benefits and costs to the individual business or
organization, while B/C analysis looks at benefits and costs to
society more generally
Environmental Impact What are the impacts of an action on the surrounding environment?
assessment An environmental assessment determines the impacts of a proposed
action on the environment, generally including changes in social,
cultural, economic, biological, physical, and ecological systems.
Economic impact assessment methods are often used along with
corresponding measures and models for assessing social, cultural
and environmental impacts. Methods range from simple checklists to
elaborate simulation models
17.0Environmental conservation, Natural resource management and
Pro-poor tourism in southern region
Tourism development commonly has been advocated as an alternative to traditional natural
resource-based economic development, such as timber production, agriculture, and mining.
Recently, many advocates of tourism have promoted seemingly new tourism concepts, such as
nature-based tourism, ecotourism, and sustainable tourism, among others. These new forms of
tourism are promoted as an environmentally safe way for rural communities to generate income
from natural resources. They are advocated particularly in developing countries because many
developing countries possess comparative advantage over developed countries in their ability to
provide relatively pristine natural settings. Affluence, education, and to increasing visitation to
wild lands and generate income for local communities through the expenditures of tourists such
as lodging, transportation, food, guides, and souvenirs . Demand for these new forms of tourism,
it is argued, arises from increased concern or interest in unique and fragile ecosystems and a
growing desire to travel to new and exotic places, and an increasing number of people who have
the financial means to do so .Birding and wilderness exploring is a popular form of eco-tourism,
an activity that may ultimately help governments improve their management of natural
resources. Ideally, co-tourists visit sites to observe wildlife and as a result spend money in the
area. Governments and local people have economic incentives to maintain these areas in a
natural condition to ensure continued visits by eco-tourists. Ecotourism is therefore being
promoted as a tool for bio-diversity conservation and rural development. To achieve these goals,
however, careful management and planning is required. Before promoting eco-tourism activities,
authorities should assess and mitigate the potential impacts from eco-tourism. The primary goal
of creating sanctuaries is to conserve the mangrove forest and its flora and fauna in a natural
state, while providing opportunities for education and recreation. Compared with other types of
tourism, eco-tourism has the most potential to meet these goals and it will be able to tackle most
of the problems when GIS technology would be used as a tool to the impact. It is clear that eco-
tourists are distinct from conventional tourists and have different and often more beneficial
environmental, social, and economic impacts on protected areas.
Tourism has the potential to increase public appreciation of the environment and to spread
awareness of environmental problems when it brings people into closer contact with nature and
the environment. This confrontation may heighten awareness of the value of nature and lead to
environmentally conscious behavior and activities to preserve the environment. For instance,
Honduran schoolchildren from the capital city of Tegucigalpa are routinely taken to visit La
Tigra cloud forest visitor center, funded in part by eco-tourist dollars, to learn about the
intricacies of the rainforest. If it is to be sustainable in the long run, tourism must incorporate the
principles and practices of sustainable consumption. Sustainable consumption includes building
consumer demand for products that have been made using cleaner production techniques, and for
services - including tourism services - that are provided in a way that minimizes environmental
impacts. The tourism industry can play a key role in providing environmental information and
raising awareness among tourists of the environmental consequences of their actions. Tourists
and tourism-related businesses consume an enormous quantity of goods and services; moving
them toward using those that are produced and provided in an environmentally sustainable way,
from cradle to grave, could have an enormous positive impact on the planet's environment.
Tourism can significantly contribute to environmental protection, conservation and restoration of
biological diversity and sustainable use of natural resources. Because of their attractiveness,
pristine sites and natural areas are identified as valuable and the need to keep the attraction alive
can lead to creation of national parks and wildlife parks. Tourism has had a positive effect on
wildlife preservation and protection efforts, notably in Africa but also in South America, Asia,
Australia, and the South Pacific. Numerous animal and plant species have already become
extinct or may become extinct soon. Many countries have therefore established wildlife reserves
and enacted strict laws protecting the animals that draw nature-loving tourists. As a result of
these measures, several endangered species have begun to the Regulatory measures help offset
negative impacts; for instance, controls on the number of tourist activities and movement of
visitors within protected areas can limit impacts on the ecosystem and help maintain the integrity
and vitality of the site. Such limits can also reduce the negative impacts on resources. Limits
should be established after an in-depth analysis of the maximum sustainable visitor capacity.
This strategy is being used in the Galapagos Islands, where the number of ships allowed to cruise
this remote archipelago is limited, and only designated islands can be visited, ensuring visitors
have little impact on the sensitive environment and animal habitats.
1. Since the 1992 Earth Summit there has been an enormous amount of activity focused on
‘greening’ the tourism industry (e.g. through waste management, energy efficiency) and
promoting more environmentally-sustainable tourism (e.g. Beyond the Green Horizon
and Agenda 21 for the Travel and Tourism Industry).
2. At the same time, the failure of top-down, preservationist attitudes to wildlife, the need
for wildlife to ‘pay its way’ and for local communities to be involved in conservation, has
led to an increase in nature-based tourism in and around protected areas as a
mechanism for biodiversity conservation. This in turn spawned a broader interest in
community-based tourism, often as a component of community-based natural
resource management (CBNRM) strategies. Obligations of donors and governments
under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) with its emphasis on sustainable use
and benefit sharing have served to reinforce this trend.
3. Cultural heritage initiatives such as those initiated by the World Bank, have increased,
both in response to concerns about the threat which globalization poses to communities
who place a high value on their local and cultural identity and as part of programmes for
broadly-defined environmental and social sustainability. Often these have tended to focus
on the restoration of the physical fabric rather than living culture. The concept of ‘sustainable
tourism’ now combines elements of all three of the above. However, none of these are the same
as pro-poor tourism (see box).To date donor interventions in tourism have not been driven by a
poverty agenda. The main interest and progress in pro-poor tourism has come from
conservationists involved in community tourism and ecotourism, but inevitably, conservation
remains their priority goal. While many donors are involved in tourism activities, few see it as a
key development sector. The EU is the largest donor in tourism, Lomé IV recognizing the
importance of tourism to backcountries. Few other donors have clear policies or strategies,
although some are in the process of developing or revising strategies (EU, CIDA, World Bank).
Although several donors now have poverty elimination as their overall goal, tourism
interventions are mainly driven by other sub-objectives (private sector growth, conservation, etc)
rather than seen as a poverty-focused activity. Although some current interventions do have
poverty reduction elements (e.g. community-based tourism), no one is actively pursuing the
poverty agenda through tourism, nor has there been significant analysis by donors of how
tourism could contribute to poverty elimination1.While potential for linkages is seen as a key
advantage of tourism, there is little evidence of efforts to maximize potential economic linkages,
other than through small enterprise support. Exceptions are probably the Annapurna
Conservation Area Project (supported by a number of donors over the years) and DBSA’s work
to encourage linkages through working with the private sector and using planning gain. Donor
interventions have tended to be either at a local level, or at a policy level, with little attention
paid to the need for linkages between the local, micro and macro level. Donors seem to be doing
little at international level – especially in terms of working with business and consumers. This
role has been very much taken up by NGOs and particularly in the UK by Tourism Concern
(work on Fair Trade in Tourism with the University of North London) and by Voluntary Service
Overseas (VSO).
Economic benefits generated by pro-poor tourism may not reach the poorest - workers and
entrepreneurs are unlikely to be from the poorest quintile. Nevertheless, those with sufficient
assets to make crafts, sell tea/food, service the accommodation sector, or work on infrastructure
may still be poor by either the international definition or by national poverty lines (particularly
where tourism occurs in places where the majority are ‘poor’),or may be kept out of poverty
thanks to tourism. Those above the poverty line who gain tourism jobs may be in a position to
pass on benefits to the poorest, as relatives sending remittances, and as customers or occasional
employers of poor vendors/casual workers. Minimizing negative environmental effects can
significantly benefit the poor, as they are likely to bear the costs of damage. In particular women
and poor households are more dependent on natural resources that may be lost to, or damaged
by, tourism. In some cases it is clear that those displaced by tourism are not those who benefit
from tourism, so simply focusing on economic benefits to compensate for livelihood losses is
inadequate. Some commentators suggest that minimizing negative cultural impacts is not such a
priority for the poor, but this will be highly context specific.
21.0 How different tourism & financial sectors can help Local
Entrepreneurs
21.1. Supporting small and micro-tourism enterprises
Small-scale tourism enterprises, such as campsites, bed and breakfast, craft sales, and guiding
can give the poor a direct stake in the tourism industry. However, the poor face many constraints
in setting up successful businesses:
they lack capital, skills, marketing links, and understanding of what tourists are and want;
they are not integrated into marketing systems within the industry. e.g. package tour clients are
usually taken to specific enterprises that pay guide commissions; inclusive and tour operators
provide services themselves or use well-established enterprises;
they have difficulties meeting health and safety regulations and other standards for
international tourists;
they are generally overlooked by government (e.g. left out of information lists for tourists) or
oppressed with red tape(e.g.: requirements for multiple permits), or squeezed in favor of large
companies (from whom tax collection is easier).
Support credit and non-financial services for SMEs, drawing on the many lessons already
learnt in other sectors.
Support marketing networks or ‘branding’ of local enterprises within a destination (Hilton
hotels are owned by a variety of people but tourist can expect similar standards and approach
from any Hilton anywhere in the world. All the Hilton’s benefit from shared marketing. There is
no reason why this principle can’t be applied to local enterprises).
Encourage businesses, national parks, and tourism information bureau to disseminate
marketing information on SMEs
Link tour operators and package companies with local enterprises (not only appealing to
altruism, but using incentives, commissions etc).
Build the marketable assets of the poor (e.g. tenure over wildlife), develop products based on
them, and help them maintain them as the value and competition increases.
Reform policy: adapt training, licensing or marketing rules so as to support not constrain the
smallest enterprises. Encourage governments to assess benefits of local enterprise, not just large
enterprise.
Use planning and sitting decisions to enhance market access of local enterprises (allow
enterprises sites on the road or inside a national park, site hotels/lodges outside or on the border
of the park, not in the inaccessible parts).
Identify which tourism segments most use local enterprise (e.g. domestic tourists, back-
packers) and promote them.
Enhance participation of the poor in tourism decision-making, so they can shape economic
opportunities to their livelihood interests. 1. Developing the quality, reliability and
competitiveness of local products: Working with local suppliers draws on principles
outlined in the SME section above. Developing quality supply is a pre-requisite.
21.2 Changing incentives and attitudes in the business sector:
Incentives for businesses can be created by government, particularly by using ‘planning gain’,
and by encouraging consumers to expect local food and materials.
Outsiders can facilitate communication and negotiation between businesses and Communities or
local enterprises. This reduces the time and risk involved for each party, and helps to bridge the
gulf in understanding. Donors can also subsidies transaction costs, such as the cost of training
and new equipment for local suppliers. Governments can address physical constraints to linkages
(e.g. lodges sited in the heart of a national park or exclusive tourism area to which local suppliers
have no access). Integrating tourism with general development planning will help identify
potential linkage
Traditionally tourism has been viewed as largely beneficial to, and compatible with, the process
of economic development. As the demand from tourists to visit natural scenic areas increases,
developers have resorted to exploit this segment of the tourism market by developing tourist
attractions in and around scenic sites, such as mountains, forests, beaches and cultural and
historical areas. However overdevelopment, inappropriate development and poor management
can cause environmental degradation. There is a need to balance the requirements of tourism
development with the environmental constraints to ensure both economic and ecological
sustainability. To create form of tourism that utilizes unique local, natural, historical and cultural
resources, and to promote the conservation and preservation of forests through proper
management, and to combine successfully the resources and the promotion of tourism, it is
necessary to implement ecotourism and a green productivity program in a planned way. The
philosophies and practices of ecotourism and green productivity can be, and should be, a part of
the tourism development strategy for Bangladesh. Tourists visiting virtually unknown,
developing countries like Bangladesh are concerned about food, disease, infection,
inconvenience, language barriers, safety and security and so on. Therefore this negative image
has to be addressed by the Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation by participating in international
fairs, seminars and workshops and also through advertising and publicity campaigns.
Government, NGOs and private organizers involved in the general tourism sector should work
hand in hand to develop ecotourism and green productivity initiatives. Ultimately, with the right
policies and understanding of the relationship between tourism and the environment, all tourism
(including mainstream) will move towards being sustainable. A number of donors have
highlighted key ingredients for successful tourism interventions. These include:
Specific ways in which donors can work to improve tourism certification make it work for the
poor include:
Supporting the development of existing schemes to ensure that social criteria are incorporated;
Promoting group schemes (and hence economies of scale) and/or destination certification so
that small scale enterprises are not prejudiced against (as has been the experience in forestry);
Supporting the development of certification standards and procedures that are sensitive to local
systems and values;
Supporting measures that build flexibility and adaptability into certification schemes
participation in developing standards; simplified schemes that do not entail all of the demands of
certification that small enterprises struggle to meet).
The majority of countries mentioning tourism in their PRSPs also have a sectoral tourism policy
- although there is little cross-referencing between the two. However, a number of countries
which stress tourism as a form of pro-poor growth in their PRSPs do not back this up in their
sectoral policies and plans. Meanwhile, other countries which do not elaborate on tourism for
pro-poor growth in their PRSP do emphasize this in sectoral plans. The Gambia, for example,
pays only limited attention to tourism in its PRSP, identifying agriculture as the key sector that
affects the majority of the country’s poor. The Tourism Development Policy, however,
emphasizes the need for growth that contributes to socio-economic development. Tanzania and
Uganda go even further, scarcely mentioning tourism in their PRSPs but developing national
tourism policies whose primary focus is poverty reduction. Governments have a critical role to
play in setting the framework under which tourism develops and in shaping its impacts on
poverty reduction (see Info Sheet No 8). However, experience to date with PRSPs demonstrates
that the pro-poor potential of tourism is largely unrecognized and often poorly articulated.
Maximizing the potential of tourism to contribute to poverty reduction requires:
i. Thrust on tourism along with fishing, forestry, agriculture and local industries
(giving eye on expanding employment and increasing income of the local
population) as components of the former
ii. Declare the entire district as tourist district and create infrastructural facilities and
provide measures to that end on priority basis (transport, hotel, parks, restaurants,
gymnasium, recreational and cultural facilities)
iii. Give primary thrust on security (in free movement) and safety (in bathing) to the
tourists
iv. Develop competitive beach facilities with fair and free access to the tourists
twenty four hours with provision of regular information on the situation of the sea
and total environment and helping to maintain privacy of the tourists with proper
lighting and dress room facilities
v. Stress on development of recreational facilities including night entertainment
including dance floor, sports & games, theatres, music, songs and other cultural
functions
vi. Develop cultural tourism & cultural diversity and arrange divergent cultural
shows whether local, national or foreign
vii. Promotion of national product package for the tourists
viii. Development of package tour in the local areas with proper information flow of
time schedule and charges
ix. Stress on adventurous tourism in the sea, to the islands and hills
x. Special package of local tour for the family and women tourists and foreign
tourists with proper guide
xi. Development of exclusive zone for the tourists both national and foreign tourists.
Some special areas of the sea beach, sites and islands need to be earmarked and developed for
foreigners only.
xii. Involvement of the local people in the decision making of tourism development
and provision of training facilities to the local people in tourism business
xiii. Stress on development of border tour package (to and from) with Myanmar and
Indian state of west Bengal
xiv. Expand facilities for island tourism
xv. Leasing out of BPC hotel and motel to the employees of the corporation or the
private entrepreneurs to manage them autonomously to maximise benefits
xvi. Emphasis on development of information and communication facilities with
national and international linking network for facilitating trade and tourism development
xvii. Stress on aggressive marketing for tourism services and advertisement for tourist
attractions of Bangladesh in general and Sundarbans in particular with emphasis
on the largest natural sea beach, greenly environment in between the hills and the
wavy sea and number of rivers flowing through it, fresh weather, scenic beauty, flora and fauna,
tribal culture and different life styles specially of the village population
xviii. Development of Khulna as a Tourist Town in a planned and comprehensive
way with an eye to health, comfort, culture and beauty.
xix. Development of home made service for the tourists specially food,
accommodation, clothing and handicrafts
xx. Emphasis on quality of the services provided in terms of cleanliness, quickness,
adequacy, courtesy, physical structure, use of standard materials in the hotel and
restaurants, reliability and healthfulness.
xxi. Adoption of measures of protection and development of local community and
their culture and foster diversity of men's cultural lives
xxii. Promote diversity of Food (e.g. Tribal food, vegetarian food, Chinese food, Bengali bharta-
dalbhat-bhaji-fish curry food, kebab, dairy products and sweet meats.)
xxii. Planned development of flora and fauna & biodiversity, environmental protection
and promotion of ecotourism
xxiii. Promotion of measures for local economic and human development .
xxiv. Check leakages in tourism development by promoting sale of local and country made
goods and services through improving their price and non-price competitiveness by means of
enhancement of local skill, technology and management,
xxv. Development of Sanatorium & Health Resort, and
xxvi. Development of Industries and shops to Tourists' needs
xxvii. Development of railway link from Chittagong to Cox's Bazar to make the journey to the
tour spot an
entertainment one
xxviii. Government initiative to project different areas (of natural, historical and religious) tourist
attraction through multi media service provision in different hotels and restaurants
23.2 country wise strategy for tourism development in southern region
In general Bangladesh will focus on following topics to help tourism related activities in
southern region
Try to give emphasis on cleanliness, sanitation, safe water, fresh food, health,
comfortable stay and movement, pleasant behavior and cultural demonstration in the
physical and institutional structures,
. Strengthen the link with the sources of tourists with proper information and motivation
Special and exclusive treatment of the foreign tourists and women tourists
Facilitate and give support to free movement of girls generally throughout the country
and particularly in the tourist bases with due regard to their person hood
. Try to create a new image for Bangladesh through tourism facilities and information
network
highlighting the blessings of Himalayas contributing to the flows of hundreds of rivers
through the country down to Bay of Bengal and a ever juvenile deltaic plain fertile land
with green village life of friendly people, blessings of turbulent Bay of Bengal
contributing to largest sea beach of the world, mangrove forest of flora and fauna, and
richness of history talking about the glorious past of quality production activities and
multi religious and multidimensional secular culture of songs, dances, practices, thoughts
and activities in the once village community
Try to give emphasis on regional links in developing tourism network with an eye to link
with Myanmar, India (emphasis on bordering states), Nepal and Bhutan and East Asian
Countries
. Give emphasis on environment friendly tourism
Take care of leakages of tourism by maximum use of local materials, local manpower,
local capital ,
local initiative and non-resident Bangladeshis abroad (in having the market link and
information diffusion and marketing management)
Develop quality , comfortable safe and timely transport linking the key tour spots and
encourage rickshaw as entertainment vehicle in the tour spot and train up the rickshaw
puller as tour guide
Develop website as comprehensively as possible with hyperlinks with different tour spots
and tour operator companies.
Declare whole country as a tourist spot with some key sub tour spots well linked with
each other through a sound network of transport, information and communication
Give emphasis on;-
i. sea-beaches of Cox's Bazar and Kuakata,
ii. river tourism in Barishal, Faridpur, Dhaka, Khulna,
iii. island tourism in Maheshkhali, Saint Martin, Sandwip, Kutubdia, Sonadia, Hatia,
iv. tribal life tourism in Chittagong Hill Tracts, Sylhet, Mymensingh, Rajshahi, Bogra,
v. historical sites tourism in Dhaka, Rajshahi, Mymensingh, Chittagong, Cox's Bazar, Dinajpur,
vi. religious Tourism in Bagerhat, Cox's Bazar, Chittagong, Dhaka
vii. cultural tourism in Dhaka, Chittagong Hill Tracts, Chittagong, Mymensingh, Cox's Bazar,
viii. wild life and forest tourism in Sundarban, Sylhet, Chittagong Hill Tracts,
ix. village tourism throughout the whole Bangladesh including islands and hilly areas,
x. life style tourism in Chittagong Hill Tracts, Mymensingh and rest of the country,
xi. sea adventure tourism by ship or trawler for sight seeing or fishing,
Give emphasis on varieties of food items made of indigenous materials (disseminating
kebab, dairy products, sweetmeats, country cakes, sea food, national and local food,
country drinks e.g. of green coconut, lemon etc., )
Give emphasis on Recreational facilities and creative tourism
Give emphasis on cultural shows both local, national, tribal, regional and international
encouraging creative culture of different groups of people
Give emphasis on flora and fauna, develop national park in key tour spots of the country
Chittagong Hill Tracts, Sundarbans, Cox's Bazar, Sylhet
Give emphasis on tribal culture and traditional life styles of different types Mix
recreation and pleasure activities with sports, works of creation, health measures,
socialization, adventure, knowledge gathering , conscious raising and diffusion of
knowledge
Increase local participation through training and supports
Give emphasis on highlighting local secular culture along with multi-religious culture in
one stream
Use local leadership in attracting the tourists and making the tourist attractions at
different points of the country
Make effective government intervention where there is a vacuum
Strengthen tourism information and its diffusion with extensive and effective network
nationally and internationally
Go for appropriate technology tourism serving price and non-price needs of the tourists in
accommodation, food, transportation and recreation
24.0 References & Bibliography
Asian Development Bank, Technical Assistance for the South Asian Sub regional
Economic Cooperation, Tourism Development Plan November, 2003
Global Tourism Industry is Set to Double by the Year 2010, Chamber News, Nov.
1995 p.4.
Sikder Zahed Husain and Hussain Md. Moazzam (1998) "Tourism Management
and Development- A study od Some selected Areas in Greater Chittagong", The
Chittagong University Journal of Commerce Vol. 14, 1998, p. 171-183.
Eber, S. (1992). Beyond the green horizon a discussion paper on Principles for
sustainable tourism, Worldwide fund for nature, Surrey, U. K.
Viju, I.C. (1995). Issues in the management of the environment and natural resources in
Bangladesh. Journal of Environmental Management, 45 (4): 319-332.
Sustainable Tourism and Poverty Elimination Study ,A report to the Department for International
Development(DFID),2009
Hasan, S. R., (2005) “Marketing publicity and sales promotion for tourism
development in Bangladesh”, Paper Readout in the workshop on tourism Mater plan,
Held on January, 15-16