Table of Contents

Background of the Study ...................................................................................................... 1

Mission ................................................................................................................................. 1

Objectives of the Study ........................................................................................................ 1

Research Method ................................................................................................................. 2

Data Processing & Analysis Method ..................................................................................... 2

Tourism Policies of Bangladesh ............................................................................................ 2

Bangladesh Tourism Policy Implementation ........................................................................ 2

Proposed Tourism Zones ...................................................................................................... 3

Sabrang Tourism Park........................................................................................................... 3

Location ............................................................................................................................ 4

Connectivity ...................................................................................................................... 4

Utilities ............................................................................................................................. 4

Existing Capacity ............................................................................................................... 4

Telecommunication: ......................................................................................................... 4

Water Supply .................................................................................................................... 5

Special Tourism Features in the Park.................................................................................... 5

Offsite Infrastructure facilities ............................................................................................. 5

Munnar Natural Tourist Zone ............................................................................................... 5

An Insight into Munnar Tourism Zone .............................................................................. 6

Must-Visit Attractions in Munnar Tourist Zone .................................................................... 6

Mattupetty Dam ............................................................................................................... 7

Echo Station & Point ......................................................................................................... 7

Eravikulam National Park.................................................................................................. 7

Kundala Lake ..................................................................................................................... 7

 Attukad Waterfall ............................................................................................................. 7

Lakkam Waterfall .............................................................................................................. 8

Thoovanam Falls ............................................................................................................... 8

Flora and fauna ................................................................................................................. 8

Hotels & Resorts in Munnar Tourism Zone........................................................................... 8

Transportation System ......................................................................................................... 9

Things to do in Munnar ........................................................................................................ 9

Performance Evaluation of Sabrang Tourism Park & Munnar Tourism Zone ..................... 10

Advantages of the zone ...................................................................................................... 10

Probable Impacts................................................................................................................ 11

What Munnar Offers to Tourists Better Than Sabrang ....................................................... 11

Economic Impacts Assessment ........................................................................................... 12

Conclusion .......................................................................................................................... 13

References .......................................................................................................................... 13
Background of the Study
Tourism is undeniably an important and profitable investment that countries around the world
are starting to realize. This has contributed to the continued growth and development of the
industry. Bangladesh is the country of spectacular natural beauty which attracts the tourists. It
has beautiful beaches as well as the longest beach in the world. The country is also endowed
with breathtaking beauties, such as parks, forests, islands, hill tract areas, tea estates, wildlife
sanctuaries, etc. Furthermore, the historical background includes the numerous historical
places, archaeological sites, heritage, and many monuments. Museums, seaports, amusement
parks, etc. have also lured people from all over the world. Hence, government policies aimed
at increasing tourism development results in the expansion of an economy.

As Bangladesh is a developing economy, tourism plays a crucial role in job creation, export
revenue and the addition of domestic value. Tourism has a positive contribution to the rate of
change of GDP. So the government, along with the partnership of private sectors, has an
important role to play in the development of the tourism sector. Thus, it is important to study
the tourism policies of Bangladesh and also evaluate particularly tourism zoning & attraction
identification, its promotion and management.

Mission
In this research paper, focusing on a specific tourism zone, we have tried to discuss in details
about it, identify its policy, development, its benefits and after effects on tourism sector in the
country. Basically our attempt is to evaluate the outcome of tourism sector after developing
Sabrang Tourism Park as a tourist zone in accordance with the policies.

Objectives of the Study

Objectives of the study are:

 To evaluate the performance.

 To what extent its impact on the country.

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Research Method
The paper emphasizes the theoretical analysis of secondary sources of data. The research
mainly focuses on the tourism policies and its evaluation concerning tourist zone and attraction
identification in Bangladeshi perspective. So, the data and information have been gathered and
scrutinized from various published articles and reports of tourism bodies, such as Bangladesh
Parjatan Corporation (BPC) and many websites related to the tourism policies of Bangladesh.

Data Processing & Analysis Method

Different online documents, articles related to the tourism industry have been studied.
Information on the different tourism management institutions, tourism policies of Bangladesh
as well as how it has evaluated & performed have been collected and thoroughly analyzed in
the paper.

Tourism Policies of Bangladesh

In order to develop the tourism industry and its facilities, the government, semi- government,
non-governmental agencies including BPC have taken various steps. The government of
Bangladesh also formulated policies and legislations in order to upgrade the tourism sector.

Bangladesh Tourism Policy Implementation

 Law Enforcement
 Tourism Zoning and Attraction Identification
 Cooperation with Local Administration
 Foreign Investment
 Cooperation among departments
 Eco-Tourism
 Unexplored Tourist Destination
 One Stop Service
 Pottery and Handicrafts
 Planning
 International Cooperation

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We are assigned to study on the evaluation of a tourism zone in Bangladesh with another
popular one.

Proposed Tourism Zones

For the greater good of the country, plans have been set in motion, to transform the tourism
sector of the country in general and Cox's Bazar region in particular. Bangladesh Economic
Zones Authority has been working to set up three special tourism parks- (1) Naf Tourism Park,
(2) Sabrang Tourism Park and (3) Sonadia Eco Tourism Park- all located in Cox's Bazar.
As a result of setting up 3 Special Tourism Parks, there will be an opportunity for employment
of about 200,000 people in the next 8 years, and this sector will have an opportunity of more
than $ 2.5 billion in financial activity annually. We’ve selected Sabrang Tourism Park &
Munnar Natural Tourism Zone, Kerala, India for better evaluation.

We have selected Sabrang Tourism Park, Bangladesh and Munnar Natural Tourist Zone, India
for the evaluation process.

Sabrang Tourism Park

Sabrang Tourism Park will be the first exclusive tourism park in the Cox’s Bazar district
encompassing an area of 1027 acres. The proposed Park is 5km away from Teknaf town and
the Cox’s Bazar-Sabrang Marine Drive is the access road to the proposed Park and this
connects the national highway in a stretch of 5km.

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The park is 96km away from the Cox’s Bazar Airport and 9km from the Teknaf Land Port.
Sabrang is an amazing hill and sea beach territory, multifaceted diverse and admirably
beautiful. The purest air, lofty hill, sea and lagoon create perfect conditions for the development
of all types of tourism & entertainment.

Location
Sabrang in Teknaf upazila under Cox’s Bazar District with an area of 882.26 acres land owned
by BEZA.

Connectivity
 Road Connectivity: The proposed Park is 5 km away from Teknaf town. Cox’s Bazar-
Sabrang Marine Drive is the access road to the proposed Park and this connects the national
highway in a stretch of 5 km.
 Air Connectivity: Cox’s Bazaar Airport is at a distance of 96 km from the proposed Park.
The connectivity from airport to the proposed Park takes around 1.5 hours of travel time by
road.
 Port Connectivity: Teknaf Land Port is only 9 km form the zone.
 River: Naaf river is only 8 km from zone.

Utilities

Electricity

Existing Capacity
Teknaf substation (10 MW capacities) is located at a distance of 7 km from the proposed Park.
A new solar based power plant of 20 MW capacity has been proposed at Huyakong (located at
a distance of 20 km from the proposed Park).

Telecommunication:
 Mobile connectivity is available.
 8 km away from Teknaf telephone exchange

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Water Supply
 Surface water is available within 3 km from the zone
 4 MLD water line will be installed for drawing water from upstream of Sabrang Industries
can be set up:

Special Tourism Features in the Park

The government is developing the exclusive tourism park with facilities including:

 Hotel complexes, eco-tourism elements, floating jetty, marine aquarium, sea cruise, eco-
cottage and floating restaurant.
 Eco-tourism, recreational tourism, business tourism
 Sports and extreme tourism, water tourism, education & health tourism

Offsite Infrastructure facilities

Access Road: Road & Highway Department will complete access marine drive road.

Power: 33 KVA dedicated electric line will be established.

Cable Connection: Fiber Optic Cable connection will be done by BTCL.

Munnar Natural Tourist Zone

Munnar is an ideal adventure tourist zone for nature enthusiasts in Kerala. It is a great holiday
destination in Kerala loved by many travelers and reasons to visit Munnar are endless. The
unending expanse of tea plantation on both the sides of the widening roads, this tiny hill station
Munnar looks like a picture-book town where there are manicured gardens and widening lanes.
Tourists can feel the presence of serenity amidst the popular tourist attraction around Munnar
and experience the destination to cherish for their lifetime.

Declared as a natural tourism zone, Munnar is a town and hill station located in the Idukki
district of the southwestern Indian state of Kerala. It is situated at around 1,600 metres (5,200
ft) above sea level. Munnar is called the "Kashmir of South India" for its magnificent attractive
natural beauty and is a popular honeymoon destination. This hill station destination of Munnar

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in Kerala carries a lot of promise for adventure activities in the form of hiking and camping,
boating and canoeing, bird watching tours, etc. Kayaking and catamaran riding trips are also
offered as part of the adventure tours in Munnar.

An Insight into Munnar Tourism Zone

 Perched at an elevation of 1600 m above the sea level, Munnar holds the secret of producing
India's best tea and spices.
 Enchanting hills of Munnar hold the spellbinding effect of a lush and peaceful environment
around.
 Visitors can see genesis and growth of tea at the Tea Museum. The museum houses
photographs, machinery and various other things which speak about the history and origin
of tea plantation in Munnar.
 Munnar plays a key role in India's spice plantation industry by growing spices like
cardamom, cinnamon; nutmeg, ginger, and turmeric are produced in abundance here.
 As soon as the dusk stretches into the silence of the night, one can feel the presence of
serenity and peace in the middle of nowhere, an experience that can't be explained in few
words.

Must-Visit Attractions in Munnar Tourist Zone

Munnar is a lowland hill station whose scenery is magnificent. As a natural tourist zone,
Munnar is bookmarked by all travellers as a favorite holiday destination to visit. Due to many
popular attractions and tourism sightseeing places in this natural tourist zone, this place is
always on top of tourist choice to visit. Here some place of interests are briefly described-

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Mattupetty Dam
The magical hill station Mattupetty offers tourists a fabulous
experience and help them feel the calmness of nature. The
Mattupetty hill town lies at a height of 1,700 meters. The main
attractions of this alluring destination are Mattupetty Dam and
Mattupetty lake, that plays an important role in water conservation and power generation.

Echo Station & Point

There is a reason why this place is called "Echo Station." The
voices made through the reservoir here, resound back into the
surroundings breaking the serene silence of the hill station. This
serene destination gives people the pleasure of hearing their voice
returning to them again and again. Echo Point is a popular
adventure tourism destination, which offers activities like trekking, nature walk, boating, etc.

Eravikulam National Park

The Park is breathtakingly beautiful and is easily comparable to the best of mountain ranges in
the Alps. While roaming around the Eravikulam Park, the wildlife lovers can find explicit
ranges of flora & fauna; and safari being the best mode brings the ultimate opportunity for them
to get closer to the wildlife.

Kundala Lake
When the beautiful sun rays fall on the Kundala Lake, it creates a
glittering effect to give tourist heaven like experience and help them
enjoy the beauty of Kundala in absolute serenity. The picturesque
Kundala lake is surrounded by green valleys and majestic landscapes,
that almost every photographer would like to capture in their lenses.

Attukad Waterfall

Attukad Waterfall is one of the most popular tourist destinations

in Munnar, ideal for trekking and picnics. The place is so beautiful
that it attracts a large number of tourists every year to enjoy the
sight of panoramic waterfall and rolling hills.

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Lakkam Waterfall
This beautiful waterfall is located in Munnar and is set amidst dense flora and rolling hills,
which add to its bewitching beauty. The waterfall is equally popular for trekkers as they get
immense opportunities to explore the dense jungle & rolling hills, surrounding the place.

Thoovanam Falls
This magnificent fall cascades from a height of 1400 feet and
fascinates many nature lovers and trekkers, who visit this place
to see wild animals and a variety of flora. The view of this
waterfall is so stunning that many tourists prefer to sit here doing
nothing but gazing at the natural beauty and enjoying the serenity of the place.

Flora and fauna

Most of the native flora and fauna of Munnar have disappeared due to severe habitat
fragmentation resultant from the creation of the plantations. However, some species continue
to survive and thrive in several protected areas including Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary, Indira
Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary and Anamudi Shola National Park. These protected areas are
especially known for several threatened and endemic species including Nilgiri Thar, the giant
squirrel, the Nilgiri wood-pigeon, elephant, the Nilgiri langur, the sambar, and the neelakurinji
(that blossoms only once in twelve years).

Hotels & Resorts in Munnar Tourism Zone

To relish unsurpassed natural beauty, swarms of tourists visit Munnar every year. To cater this
huge influx of tourists, there are available heaps of comfortable hotels and resorts in Munnar.
The hotels and resorts in Munnar are distinguished for warm hospitality and happy to help
staffs. The scrupulously designed rooms of these hotels are large and well ventilated. Guests

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can relish the attractive panoramas of outside through these rooms. Ranging from luxury to
budget hotels, Munnar offers perfect accommodation option to every vacationer. Some of the
major luxury hotels & resorts in Munnar are-

Transportation System
Munnar is well connected by both national highways, state highways, rural roads, railway and
airport system. The nearest major railway stations are at Ernakulam and Aluva (approximately

140 kilometres by road). The nearest airport is Cochin International Airport, which is 110
kilometres away. The Coimbatore and Madurai airports is 165 kilometres from Munnar.

Things to do in Munnar
Climate and tea plantation are the base for Munnar Tourism. Tourists come here to see the
plush green carpet that is strewn all around. In this zone, tourists can enjoy the nature in its true
form with breathtakingly beautiful landscapes, waterfalls, lake and wildlife. Here tourists enjoy
fishing, boating, swimming, hiking, kayaking and trekking. The tourists count increases per
year with a major number during the months of April – May when summer vacations begin
across the country. In 2018, a huge number of tourists visited during the months of August-
September when the kurinji blooms once in 12 years.

A tour in Munnar is an unforgettable experience. Munnar's greenery and cool air draw streams
of honeymooners and weekenders from many metropolitan cities of South India. Munnar is a
lowland hill station whose scenery is magnificent. With its drowsy little bungalows, Munnar is
one of the unique hill stations in India, which holds the old world colonial charm. One can feel
the presence of serenity and peace in the middle of nowhere, an experience that can't be
explained in few words.

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Performance Evaluation of Sabrang Tourism Park & Munnar Tourism
Zone
Sabrang Tourism Park will be the first exclusive tourism park in the Cox’s Bazar district
encompassing an area of 1027 acres. Sabrang is an amazing hill and sea beach territory,
multifaceted diverse and admirably beautiful. The tourism park located with exclusive beach
front from where a coral island the Saint Martin could be easily reached by half an hour through
sea cruise.

There’ll have some scope of offer for the investment in all components of tourism park
including-

 Serviced Land for recreation, hotel, motel, transport, amusement park, aqua park, fun
lake, children Park, Watch tower.
 Production of souvenir items, indigenous products, handicrafs.
 Training centers for tour management, development of green energy.
 Sewerage treatment plant, solid waste treatment plant and water treatment plant as
integral on site infrastructure.

Advantages of the zone

After being a tourism park, Sabrang Tourism Park will have the following benefits-

 Located with exclusive beach front

 Half an hour Sea cruise to St. Martin- a coral island
 8 km away from Teknaf land port
 30 Minutes proximity to Cox’s Bazar Domestic International Airport
 Access to the Bay of Bengal
 Well-connected by road and sea
 Availability of local operators in tourism sector
 The river Naaf is flowing between Bangladesh and Myanmar

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Probable Impacts
 It will provide impetus for economic development not only in the Sabrang, Teknaf area but
also around the surroundings and would also generate employment opportunities.
 Aid in the development of the tourism sector in Bangladesh as well as the infusion of the
financial capital resulting in the increase in contribution to the overall growth of the GDP
in the country.
 The cumulative positive impacts of the project will result in increased mobility,
employment generation, and above all better economic integration of the area with the
major market and trade centers within and outside the districts.
 Furthermore, it will facilitate improved access to market centers, educational institutions,
healthcare facilities and offices located in Teknaf upazila.
 More opportunities for the women to educate & train them and contribute to develop in
tourism & improve on the economic conditions of their home and community.

Looking at Munnar Natural Tourist Zone, Munnar is an ideal adventure tourist zone for nature
enthusiasts in Kerala. It is a great holiday destination in Kerala loved by many travelers and
reasons to visit Munnar are endless. Declared as a natural tourism zone, Munnar is called the
"Kashmir of South India" for its magnificent attractive natural beauty and is a popular
honeymoon destination.

What Munnar Offers to Tourists Better Than Sabrang

As a natural tourist zone, Munnar is bookmarked by all travellers as a favorite holiday
destination to visit. Due to many popular attractions and tourism sightseeing places in this
natural tourist zone, this place is always on top of tourist choice to visit. Being a tourist zone,
it offers a variety of tourism activities-

 Perched at an elevation of 1600 m above the sea level, Munnar holds the secret of producing
India's best tea and spices.
 Enchanting hills of Munnar hold the spellbinding effect of a lush and peaceful environment
around.
 Visitors can see genesis and growth of tea at the Tea Museum. The museum houses
photographs, machinery and various other things which speak about the history and origin
of tea plantation in Munnar.

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 Munnar plays a key role in India's spice plantation industry by growing spices like
cardamom, cinnamon; nutmeg, ginger, and turmeric are produced in abundance here.
 As soon as the dusk stretches into the silence of the night, one can feel the presence of
serenity and peace in the middle of nowhere, an experience that can't be explained in few
words.
 This hill station destination of Munnar in Kerala carries a lot of promise for adventure
activities in the form of hiking and camping, boating and canoeing, bird watching tours,
etc.
 Kayaking and catamaran riding trips are also offered as part of the adventure tours in
Munnar.

Economic Impacts Assessment

 Increasing employment rate: People engage in different types of job when tourist will
come to this zone, like opportunity in hotel, restaurant, drive vehicles, tourist guide etc.
 Infrastructure development: For giving best staying & moving facilities to tourists, the
destination itself host community has tried to develop their infrastructure. It includes the
development of accommodation, transportation, road, rail, walk ways and others.
 Development of super infrastructure: When tourists will come to the destination, they
need some other facilities. This zonal authority always concerns about super infrastructure
including water & power supply, proper communication and so on.
 Impact on GDP of the country: When a destination is well developed for tourism, the
DMO & destination can hope to earn from tourists. That leaves an impact on total GDP of
the country.

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Conclusion
Finally, tourism is one of the fastest growing sector in the world. We need to promote our
tourism in the world market. Due to lack of proper promotional activities, many people are not
aware of our tourism sites. If we promote them properly, they will be very prominent tourists’
spots in Bangladesh as well as in the world in upcoming days.

References
 https://www.beza.gov.bd/economic-zones-site/government-owned-sites/sabrang-tourism-
sez/
 https://www.beza.gov.bd/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SIA_Sabrang.pdf
 https://www.dhakatribune.com/business/2018/02/04/beza-tourism-initiative-transform-
coxs-bazar
 https://www.munnar.com/glimpses.html
 https://www.tourmyindia.com/states/kerala/munnar.html
 www.wikipedia.com

-----------------------------------The End-----------------------------------

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