The four-day Bangladesh Tourism Fair-2005 began in the China-Bangladesh Friendship Conference Centre on December 15 and will continue until December 18. Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation organised the fair aiming to promote tourism in the country and to encourage private companies to get involved in this sector.

Visitors were found going from stall to stall and gathering information about the sites of their possible visits. They were also inquiring about packages offered by different tour operators.

Encouraged by his experience in the fair, Saifur Rahman, a businessman from Mirpur area of the capital, is already planning a visit to the Sundarbans with his family this winter. "I always remain occupied with my business and did not know about the touring facilities to the Sundarbans different private tour operators are offering," he said.

A number of private tour operators said the tourism sector in Bangladesh could have boomed and contributed greatly to the national economy, if the government could curb terrorism and develop the infrastructure.

"Immense potential and prospects lie in Bangladesh's tourism sector as the country is blessed with its natural beauty and many archaeological sites," said Syed Mahbubul Islam, managing partner also chief executive officer of Riverain Tours.

Referring to the increase in the number of domestic tourists he said earnings from this sector could have contributed significantly to the national economy if the government paid attention on developing the sector and cooperated with the private tour operators.

The co-organisers of the fair are Tour Operators Association of Bangladesh (TOAB) and Bangladesh Hotels and Guest House Owners' Association while The Daily Prathom Alo, The Daily Star, ATN Bangla and SKYbd are the media partners. Universal Media is the event manager.

With 58 organisations participating in the fair, 80 stalls and five pavilions are set up in the venue.

Different private tour operators, food and beverages companies including Tommy Miah's Institute of Hospitality Management, guesthouses, one stop service providers, airliners including the Kuwait Airways, boutique shops, fashion houses, leather shops, international institutions on hotel and hospitality management, and even jewellery shops are participating in the fair.

"Visitors will get everything related to tourism in the fair," said AA Mursalin Shena, assistant manager of operations of Universal Media.

The Department of Forest has set up a stall to make people aware about eco-tourism.

Two stalls for which the organisers did not charge any fee are the stalls for the Liberation War Museum and for the Department of Archaeology, where the visitors can learn about the war of liberation and the places with archaeological significance in Bangladesh.

A number of participating organisations particularly private tour operators and the organisers of the fair said they hope that the positive response from the visitors will continue through the remaining days of the fair.

The tour operators said the number of foreign tourists decreased significantly after the latest wave of bomb blasts began in August. "Many foreign tourists are cancelling their bookings on grounds of security concerns in Bangladesh," said a private tour operator.

Seeking anonymity he also said the Parjatan Corporation of Bangladesh actually is doing nothing to explore the potential of tourism sector in Bangladesh and alleged that the corporation never cooperates with the private tour operators.

Some members of the TOAB expressed their resentments, as two ministers who attended the inaugural ceremony of the fair did not visit their stalls. "The chairman of Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation should have brought the ministers to our stalls as we are also co-organisers," said a member.

They also criticised the government for not paying due attention to the development of tourism industry and said the government did not allocate any fund in the fiscal years 2004-05 and 2005-06 for the tourism sector.