Destination: Bangladesh - Unusual, Unique, Authentic

In 2008 Bangladesh drew over 400,000 tourists compared to 2007 when there were 200,000 visitors. The prime tourist attractions in Bangladesh include the Sundarbans (the world's largest natural mangrove forest), Cox's Bazaar and the capital city Dhaka. Bangladesh has three sites inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List: Historic Mosque City of Bagerhat, Ruins of the Buddhist Vihara at Paharpur, and The Sundarbans (1997). Bangladesh is located in the north-eastern part of South Asia....

Unstable Political Situation Deters Tourists Political unrest and the adverse security situation within Bangladesh deterred both domestic as well as foreign tourists from exploring the country. International tourists feared going to a country with political uncertainty, and even local tourists found it safer to venture abroad for tourism, rather than explore Bangladesh. Natural Disasters Add to Woes Two spells of devastating floods in July and September 2007 were followed by the country's wor...

The Sundarbans, covering about one million ha in the delta of the rivers Ganga, Brahmaputra and Meghna at the point where it merges with the Bay of Bengal, is the single largest block of tidal halophytic mangrove forest in the world shared between Bangladesh (62%) and India (38%), which supports a large, biodiversity-rich unique ecosystem. With its array of trees and wildlife the forest is a showpiece of natural history. It is also a center of economic activities, such as extraction of timber, ...

STRENGTHS What is the current level of patronage, and how does this compare with past trends? Tourists in Bangladesh are inbound tourists, Bangladeshi middle and high class or expats. There is a lack of knowledge about demand in the Bangladeshi tourism business, particular regarding the Bangladeshi middle and high class and the expatriated community. Inbound tourism registration exist for the period 1996-2005. Average number of inbound tourists in the period was 203.015 tourists. The lowest n...

Sandwip Island may not be everybody’s idea of a great holiday destination but the more adventurous might want to seek it out and discover its many hidden treasures. The island is located in southeastern Bangladesh and is quite different from other parts of the country. So how exactly is this island different from other parts of the country? For starters, it is an island so it has been more or less separated from mainland Bangladesh for many years – even if inhabitants could use a ...

A list of experienced Bangladeshi tour operators to download.