Tourism will be a major driver of employment and economy: State Minister M Rashiduzzaman Millat

Photo: CNI

Correspondent: “TOAB International Tourism Award 2026” was held by Tour Operators Association of Bangladesh (TOAB) at Sheraton Dhaka, Banani on Sunday at 7 pm. Honorable Minister of State for Civil Aviation and Tourism M Rashiduzzaman Millat, MP was present as the chief guest on the occasion.

‎State Minister M Rashiduzzaman Millat, in his speech as the chief guest, said that the government considers tourism not only as an important economic driver, but also as a powerful means of employment generation, regional development and cultural exchange. To this end, an integrated tourism master plan has been adopted to develop and promote the country's 1,498 tourist attractions, including eco-tourism, adventure tourism, religious tourism and cultural and heritage tourism.

At this time, the State Minister invited proposals from TOAB to bring policy amendments for the development of the country's tourism sector. He said that currently the contribution of tourism sector to the country's GDP is only 3 percent, but the government is working to increase this rate to 8-9 percent in the near future. Besides, he expressed the hope of working in the public private partnership model for the infrastructural development of the tourism sector.

‎Earlier, the State Minister awarded medals to 13 organizations in 13 categories in recognition of their special contribution to the tourism sector at “TITA 2026”.