Bangladesh’s government has initiated plans to draft a unified policy linking cultural heritage with tourism development. Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister M Rashiduzzaman Millat announced the initial decision at a meeting held Monday in the Cultural Affairs Ministry’s conference room at the Secretariat. The Civil Aviation and Tourism Ministry and the Cultural Affairs Ministry will coordinate the effort.

Millat said a joint committee involving the two ministries will be formed to prepare the policy for cultural tourism. He said the ministries will soon sign a memorandum of understanding on the matter. Referring to a recent visit to Malaysia, he said Bangladesh had made an initial decision to begin work following Malaysia’s approach to preserving historical sites while developing tourism and culture.

The prime minister, Tarique Rahman, has set a target of increasing tourism’s contribution to GDP from the current 2 to 3 percent to 7 to 8 percent through the joint initiative, the minister said. The first phase will focus on traditional zamindar houses and Buddhist relics stretching from Cox’s Bazar to Mainamati, before other tourism and cultural sites are included gradually.