Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Afroza Khanam said the government aims to raise tourism’s contribution to Bangladesh’s GDP from about 3 percent to between 6 and 7 percent. She made the remarks as chief guest at the inauguration of the Travel Tourism Development Center at Hotel InterContinental in Dhaka on August 9.

Khanam said the country’s tourism sector had seen no significant development over the past 17 years. She said the government is working under Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s instructions to bring the sector to international standards. The minister called for coordinated action across travel, tourism, aviation and hospitality to meet that goal.

She said the new platform could play an important and effective role in enabling stakeholders to work together. Khanam stressed that sustainable tourism development requires active participation by private-sector stakeholders alongside government initiatives. She said the government is ready to provide policy support and necessary assistance, and emphasized cooperation from all stakeholders to establish Bangladesh as an international tourism destination.