8 Jul, 2014
Newswire Editor’s Lectures Strive to Help Bangladesh Boost Image, Grow Arrivals
Dhaka – Travel Impact Newswire Executive Editor Imtiaz Muqbil delivered two lectures on June 19-20 to senior executives of the travel industry and travel media in Bangladesh, a rapidly-emerging destination on the Asia-Pacific travel & tourism stage. The topics, ‘Presenting Bangladesh in the Positive Way’ and ‘Stakeholders Role in Destination Marketing’, allowed a powerful interchange of ideas and experiences on ways to boost the country’s image, attract more visitors and create a “balanced” tourism development agenda.
Mr Muqbil’s most emphatic message was that Bangladesh can and should exploit the “last mover advantage”, learn from the positive and negative experiences of the many other countries with more advanced tourism industries, and adopt as an over-arching policy the words of UNWTO Secretary-General Dr Talib Rifai, “There is a recognized need to balance short-term market challenges with long-term sustainable development principles; this need should become an integral part of global and national tourism policies and strategies.”
As Mr Muqbil is based in Bangkok and has covered the Thai travel industry for more than three decades, many of the participants were especially interested in the strategies and policies adopted by a country that gets more than 26 million visitors, in spite of facing a slew of man-made and natural disasters.
Said Mr Muqbil, “Bangladesh gets plenty of negative coverage in the global media. But it was encouraging to see such a large turnout of both media and travel trade, all bursting with great ideas about how to change things. Bangladesh was once categorised by the UN as one of the world’s least developed countries, but is now clearly on the way up. I am honoured to have been invited to contribute in a small way to this upturn.”
The workshop on the first day was attended by Mr. Rashed Khan Menon, MP, Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism, Mr. Khurshed Alam Chowdhury, Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism, Mr. Akhtaruz Zaman Khan Kabir, CEO, Bangladesh Tourism Board. Overall, about 60 senior executives and journalists attended over the two days, including Mr. Kazi Wahidul Alam, Editor, Bangladesh Monitor and Nadira Kiron, Convener, Aviation and Tourism journalist forum of Bangladesh and a senior journalist of ATN BANGLA- a leading electronic media.
The responses were good:
Mr Taufiq Rahman, Chief Executive, Journey Plus: “It was a tremendous session and I am sure that both the private and public sector will benefit very much.”
Mr Syed Ghulam Qadir, Managing Director, Galaxy Holidays: “Thanks for your in-depth study and unique presentation.”
Shaikh Sayeed Hossain, General Manager, Hotel Washington: “It was an outstanding session and we enjoyed it. We enjoy your 12 points and feel we have many many points like this due to many thousand years history.”
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Mr. Rashed Khan Menon, MP, Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism (3rd right), officiated at the lecture on the first day. With him are, from right, Mrs Nadira Kiron, Mr. Akhtaruz Zaman Khan Kabir, Mr. Kazi Wahidul Alam, Mr Taufiq Rahman and Mr Imtiaz Muqbil.
Mr. Rashed Khan Menon, MP, Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism (right) and Mr. Kazi Wahidul Alam.
The turnout of travel and business media on the first day.
The lecture in progress on the first day.
The turnout of travel trade executives on the second day.
Imtiaz Muqbil receiving a certificate of appreciation.
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