The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation has initiated a move to become facilitator to the tourism industry instead of doing present traditional business.

To this effect the Parjatan Corporation Ordinance of 1972 will be turned in to a law and the name of the Corporation will be changed to National Tourism Authority by December next, said newly appointed chairman Shafiq Alam Mehedi.

All the hotels, motels and other businesses of the Corporation will be make privatised.

The proposed Authority will work to promote tourism in the country and provide infrastructure and legal support to the institutions working in this sector, he said.

He also said the proposed authority will be working to attract foreign investment in the tourism sector and unveil some new spots which are of international standard.

Two committees are working in this regard and conducting a survey to identify and develop new tourism spots, Mehedi said.

"I know tourism is public relations…unless there is publicity, no tourism industry can be developed," the chairman said seeking help from the media to boost the sector.

Mehedi requested a cross section of people to vote Bangladesh's mangrove forest Sundarban as one of the new seven wonders of nature. He said the Parjatan Corporation is considering installations of Internet booths in educational institutions and public places so that people can vote in this regard.

He informed the journalists that the Parjatan Corporation is working

to rank the hotels in Bangladesh under certain categories.

The chairman said the corporation feels the necessity of setting up at least 10 national hotel and tourism institutes across the country for creating skilled human resources to be needed for massive activities of the National Tourism Authority.

The skilled manpower will also be exported to the western countries, including Europe, he said.