MOST TOURISTS GO TO INDIA FROM BANGLADESH, WHAT IS THE REASON?

Rakib Hasnat BBC Bangla, Dhaka April 21, 2019    

According to the Bureau of Immigration of India, Bangladesh has the highest number of tourists in the country.   A report from the country's tourism ministry has revealed this information. This report of 2017 has been published recently.

fig: Collected

However, the report has basically come up with the information of a part of 2016 and 2017.   In 2017, more than one crore foreign tourists visited India on visas, which is 14 percent more than the previous year.   The country has earned 1 lakh 6 thousand 74 crore rupees from foreign exchange.   Bangladesh is at the top of the list of countries from which more tourists went to India in 2017.   According to the report, 21 lakh 56 thousand 558 Bangladeshis went to India on tourist visas, while the number of US citizens in the second place was 13 lakh 8 thousand 919 people.   Bangladesh and the United States are followed by the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Russia, Germany and France.   In terms of foreign exchange earnings from the tourism sector in 2016, the revenue was about thirteen billion dollars, while in the first six months of 2017, the revenue was about 14 billion dollars.   How do Bangladeshis spend in India?   Why is the world's largest Indian visa center in Dhaka?   But why is the number of Bangladeshi tourists increasing in India?   Dr. Syed Rashidul Hasan, Professor, Department of Tourism and Hospitality Management, Dhaka University, says the main reason for the huge increase in Bangladeshi tourists in India is the simplification of Indian visa policy and the opening up of new attractions.   According to Syed Rashidul Hasan, the reasons for the multiplication of Bangladeshi tourists in India are:   Making Indian visas readily available Establishment of Indian Visa Centers up to Districts of Bangladesh Attracting places like Kashmir, Ladakh or Sikkim to tourists Numerous interesting places for tourists in India Increasing number of Bangladeshi patients in Bangalore, Chennai, Mumbai and Kolkata (Patients now go on medical visas but many families help them on tourist visas) Religious activities (such as Muslims go to Ajmer and Hindus have many places of pilgrimage in India) Making a huge interest among the youth towards mountain trekking And throughout the year, in addition to traders, many Bangladeshis go to India alone or with their families to shop. Many young people go to India for trekking as the cost is relatively low Syed Rashidul Hasan says there is no alternative to India at low cost for simultaneous mountain and sea viewing experience. Even many people are now traveling to the south of India with their families.   "The main credit for this goes to the Indian government. They have realized that it is possible to earn huge amount of money from Bangladeshi tourists by making it easier to get visas. Now no one from Dinajpur has to come to Dhaka for Indian visas. Tourist ".   India has set up many visa centers for Bangladeshis   The first destination for new passport holders is mainly India.   Kazi Mohammad Zaheer, head of Rahman Tours and Travels, a travel agency in Dhaka, says he tries to get an Indian visa in his passport whenever he has a new passport.   "Many young people think it would be beneficial to have an Indian visa passport before going to countries like Thailand and Malaysia. Even thousands of students from the country's educational institutions go to India for their first foreign trip."   MrZaheer says the number of people going shopping is not much lower than those who go on solid travel.   "Earlier, many middle class people used to shop only from Kolkata New Market. Now, markets from Mumbai to Delhi or Chennai are crowded with Bangladeshis. Especially before Eid or Puja, many people go to India for shopping."   He said many travel agencies in Dhaka are going to Kolkata, Delhi, Mumbai, Kashmir, Kullu and Manali with packages almost every day.   Tourists are also going from district or divisional cities   HazratBinoyBhadra from Sylhet often travels or goes trekking in India.   Apart from Punjab, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Ladakh, Nagaland, Tripura, Meghalaya, Sikkim, Rajasthan and Haryana, he has visited many places.   He said, "Diversity can be found in India. Deserts, ice, mountains, seas, mountains - everything is there. Again, many of the historical sites I have read about in books are almost all Bangladeshi in India, such as the Taj Mahal, QutubMinar or FatehpurSikri." The students know. That's why they're so eager to see it. "   "We have seen many Bangladeshi tourists visiting the Dhanesh festival in Nagaland as we have seen Bangladeshis in the springs or caves of Meghalaya."   He said the route to Shillong via Dauki near Sylhet is now always busy.   "If you have 3/4 days off together, you will have to read the long immigration line at the Dauki border. It is also an advantage for many to go to India for family vacations as they are close by."   Church and hotel blasts kill 138 in Sri Lanka   Jesus: What his true appearance is in the eyes of history   Irregularities in the security of 200 multi-storey buildings in Dhaka   How was haluya-ruti introduced in Shab-i-Barat?

Written by, Sayka Arifin Orpita

References (Information Collected)    

Click Here to Visit