Introduce on-arrival visas to attract tourists: MoCAT state minister

Dhaka: The Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism has requested the Home Ministry to introduce on-arrival visas to attract tourists in the post pandemic era.

State Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism Md Mahbub Ali on September 26 said this at a press conference at the secretariat organised on the eve of World Tourism Day-2021.

"A master plan for the tourism sector is likely to be completed by December 2022," he added.

This year's theme for World Tourism on September 27 is "Tourism for Inclusive Growth". To mark the day, the President and the Prime Minister have issued separate messages.

"The tourism industry is one of the most affected industries due to Covid-19 and Bangladesh is not out of this global crisis," the state minister said, adding, "following this pandemic, we had to close tourist spots and businesses associated with this industry for a long time.”

"At present, the tourist spots in the country have been reopened in compliance with the health guidelines due to the decreasing cases of Covid-19 infection in the country," added Mahbub Ali.

"As domestic tourists start travelling to various tourist spots with interest, businesses associated with the country's tourism industry are slowly turning around, and the country's tourism industry is gaining momentum," he said.

"The celebration of this year's World Tourism Day, therefore, is a special opportunity to present tourism to domestic and foreign tourists and inform them about it," the state minister added.