Bangladesh hosts OIC workshop to promote heritage preservation, sustainable tourism
Dhaka: Bangladesh has hosted an international workshop aimed at developing common standards and sustainability indicators for preserving heritage sites and promoting sustainable tourism across OIC member countries.
The two-day workshop, titled “Developing Quality Standards and Sustainability Indicators for Enhancing Governance and Monitoring Systems of Heritage Site Preservation in OIC Countries,” was held from October 7 and 8 at a city hotel in the capital.
The Bangladesh Tourism Board (BTB), under the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism, organized the workshop under a COMCEC-funded project on strengthening governance and monitoring systems for cultural heritage preservation, said a press release.
BTB Chief Executive Officer Barrister Mutasim Billah Faruqui inaugurated the workshop, highlighting the importance of protecting cultural heritage as a foundation for sustainable and competitive tourism.
Bangladesh was selected to host the project through a competitive process involving 57 OIC member countries, reflecting the country's growing engagement in regional tourism cooperation, according to the BTB.
The workshop brought together 25 experts and officials involved in heritage preservation and tourism. Of them, 21 represented relevant Bangladeshi departments and institutions, while four international participants came from Türkiye, Uzbekistan, and the Statistical, Economic and Social Research and Training Centre for Islamic Countries (SESRIC).
During the two-day program, participants worked on practical standards and indicators covering the environmental, social, and economic aspects of heritage-site management.
They also discussed legal and regulatory frameworks, conservation and maintenance, governance, benefit-sharing with local communities, visitor management, and preparedness for risks.
The recommendations and outcomes of the workshop will feed into an upcoming OIC Guidance Document on Heritage Site Preservation, which will be finalised after a further expert consultation.
At the closing session, BTB Director Abu Salim Mahmud-Ul Hasan thanked the participating institutions and experts and reaffirmed Bangladesh's commitment to knowledge sharing and capacity building under the COMCEC framework.
The BTB said the initiative is aimed at supporting heritage conservation while ensuring that tourism contributes to local livelihoods and strengthens the competitiveness of tourism sectors across OIC countries.
