HOW SAFE ARE THE NEW PLACES TO VISIT FOR TOURISTS?

Shahnaz Parveen BBC Bangla, Dhaka 16 September 2018  

Although the trend of people visiting several new tourist destinations in Bangladesh has increased tremendously, the news of deaths in various accidents by visiting these unsafe places has been heard more and more lately.   The body of a professor who went missing after taking a bath in a spring in the hill district of Bandarban in Bangladesh has been recovered today. He went to Bandarban with his friends and family for Eid holidays.   A few days ago, two students drowned in Bichanakandi in Sylhet.   Those involved in the tourism sector say that the number of domestic tourists in Bangladesh is increasing every year, and Bichnakandi, Ratargul, many rapids or waterfalls in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, trekking in the mountains - these are becoming new attractions.

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But the question is, how important is the safety of tourists in these new places?   Talking to FarhanaAlam from Dhaka - who loves to travel. As you visit the major tourist destinations in the country, you also visit places that are not very famous.   He says that in his experience, the safety of tourists in Bangladesh is almost entirely up to him.   He says, "Suppose Cox's Bazar is an old tourist destination in Bangladesh. But in some new places like Bichanakandi or Ratargul there are no warnings or guidelines as to where the boat will get stuck, where the depths and currents are or where the water should not go. This often leads to accidents. "   Bogra Professor Tawfiq Siddiqui lost his life in Bandarban in the face of such an accident. He went down to bathe in a mountain spring in Ruma, Bandarban and never came back.   FarhanaAlam says tourists also lack understanding among themselves. According to him, "tourists should also follow the rules or where to go."   Those involved in the tourism sector say that the number of domestic tourists in Bangladesh is increasing every year. According to the information received from the hotels staying in various popular tourist destinations, in the last six months, about one lakh tourists have visited the popular destinations.   Rafiqul Islam Nasim, director of tour operator Bengal Tours, says all countries in the world have extra measures in place to protect tourists from the risk of their lives or from various crimes. But there is a shortage of such system in Bangladesh except for popular destinations.   According to him, "this is the responsibility of the government, tour operators and those who have resorts, hotels or parks. But in this case we have weaknesses. It can be seen that in many places there are no warning signs, or maybe there were but it has been destroyed and not relocated."   "We have to rely on word of mouth to know how much risk there is. We have to say we have a weakness in this case."   The most popular tourist destination in Bangladesh is Cox's Bazar beach. Outside of this is the Sundarbans. There are tea gardens and haor areas in Sylhet. Those involved in this sector say that the number of tourists in the northern part of the country is less.   But lately, tourists are starting to find new destinations. Tourist clubs are being formed. Akhtaruzzaman Khan Kabir, chief executive officer of the Bangladesh Tourism Board, says the most popular is Cox's Bazar, which has information on tidal or risky areas. Regular mics are also announced.   However, in areas where new tourist areas are emerging, the Tourism Board plans to develop guides in the local community. "Locals will be trained to help tourists. We will create a database of guides and make the list easily accessible to tourists. Our plan, for the time being, is to keep tourists safe with their help," said Mr Khan. On the other hand, the tourist police has been working for the safety of tourists in Bangladesh for many years. Tour operator companies often take their help in the security of a large team.

Written by, Sayka Arifin Orpita

References (Information Collected)    

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