Bangladesh Bank has allowed tour operators to sell overseas travel packages in Bangladeshi taka and remit necessary payments in foreign currency to overseas service providers. The central bank issued a circular on Sunday. The facility is available to members of the Tour Operators Association of Bangladesh, or TOAB, that have contracts or business relationships with foreign tour operators, hotels, or destination management companies.

Under the new rules, operators may collect package prices in taka from Bangladeshi travellers and pay actual overseas travel costs, including accommodation and transport, in foreign currency. Outside a traveller’s regular annual travel quota, foreign currency of up to $3,000 per traveller may be remitted annually. Transaction information must be retained against the traveller’s passport number, and travellers must declare that the limit has not been exceeded through another tour operator.

Packages priced above $3,000 may also be sold, but the amount must be paid in foreign currency through international cards. Before remitting funds, banks must verify invoices, contracts, itineraries, traveller lists, and proof of taka collection. Authorised dealer banks must report the information to Bangladesh Bank within seven days of sending the funds. Businesses said the move would simplify customer transactions and make outbound tourism more transparent and institutionalised.