Bangladesh, Philippines explore direct air link to boost tourism

Dhaka: Bangladesh and the Philippines have discussed establishing direct air connectivity between the two countries to boost two-way tourist flows and strengthen bilateral tourism cooperation.

The issue came up at a meeting between a delegation of the Bangladesh Outbound Tour Operators Association (BOTOA) and officials of the Philippines' Department of Tourism (DOT) – National Capital Region (NCR) in Manila on Friday, according to a BOTOA press release received in Dhaka today.

The BOTOA delegation met Ivannovich “Dmitry” Agote, Chief of the Tourism Regional Division of DOT-NCR, to discuss expanding tourism ties, improving air connectivity and developing long-term cooperation between tourism stakeholders in the two countries.

The two sides said direct and convenient air links could facilitate tourist movement between Bangladesh and the Philippines while also creating opportunities for greater trade, investment and people-to-people exchanges.

The meeting also focused on increasing two-way tourist flows, particularly by attracting more Filipino visitors to Bangladesh as the number of Bangladeshi tourists travelling to the Philippines continues to grow.

BOTOA highlighted Bangladesh's natural beauty, cultural heritage, historical sites and diverse tourism attractions, stressing the need for stronger promotional campaigns to present the country as an attractive destination for Filipino travellers.

The two sides also stressed the importance of greater business-to-business cooperation among tour operators, destination management companies, tourism organisations and other private-sector stakeholders.

They discussed opportunities for experience-sharing, business networking and joint initiatives to make the tourism markets of both countries more dynamic.

BOTOA said tourism could serve not only as an economic sector but also as a means of strengthening people-to-people ties, cultural exchanges, friendship and mutual understanding between the two countries.

The participants observed that improved air connectivity, stronger destination promotion, private-sector engagement and institutional cooperation could help create a more sustainable tourism partnership between Bangladesh and the Philippines.

The BOTOA delegation was led by its President Syed Golam Mohammad and included General Secretary Md Shariful Islam, Adviser Taufiq Rahman, Senior Vice-President Mohammad Mohsin Iqbal, Vice-President A K N Kamruzzaman and member M.D. Anisuzzaman.

Monotosh Sarkar, proprietor of Legend Holidays, Philippines, also attended the meeting as the hosting partner of BOTOA's familiarisation (FAM) trip to the Philippines.

BOTOA expressed hope that the meeting in Manila would help lay the groundwork for increased tourist exchanges, new business opportunities and a long-term tourism partnership between the two countries.