Does Toruism even Exist in Bangladesh?

[TopCat]

You guys should wait till the ETZ (Exculsive Tourism Zone) comes into being near Teknaf. There will be bar, night clubs disco and open beach, and ofcourse beautiful women ... This will be far away from mainland Bangladesh and free of mullahs.

 

[Secur]

Indonesia has the largest Muslim population in the world, yet we can generate more than 50 billion US dollar from international tourism alone. I don't see why Bangladesh can't be a destination for holiday season.

And certainly no reason for Bangladeshis to become anti-tourism because they are Muslims, right?

P.S Funny reactions I am seeing in this thread.

 

[Nike]

And certainly no reason for Bangladeshis to become anti-tourism because they are Muslims, right?

P.S Funny reactions I am seeing in this thread.

Harmony and respect for each other is the key, Moslem and Secular people can work together right?

 

[AbidM]

Bangladesh is 21 I think if we focus on Eco tourism than we could gooo big.

 

[Bilal9]

For those who think Bangladesh could roughly be similar to India, here's an outline from a Western woman's viewpoint on the Lonelyplanet forum on a few differences. If you are desi and a male obviously reactions will be a little different.
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- Cost. Everything is cheaper than India. Your Taka goes a long way.
- People. The people are surprisingly very different, so so friendly, hospitable, have no agenda other than to be nice and find out about you. Everyone told me this but I didn't believe them until I got there. Of course there are always exceptions to any rule but in general the culture of ripping people off has yet to reach BD and long may it last.
- Next to no tourists. This means you get slightly more attention but this is not necessarily as intrusive as it can be in India. I've often gathered my own "protectors" completely by accident, just people I've started chatting to, who will ward off the more ardent onlookers if you start to become uncomfortable. It's also great as you're entering uncharted territory for tourists!
- Transport. The train to Chittagong for example is excellent. Elsewhere pretty similar to India. Everything slightly cheaper. I flew a fair bit in BD too, but mainly just because I had limited time and the flights were also cheap.
- Language. A lot less English spoken than in India but you will always find someone who does speak English in your immediate vicinity.
- Food and drink. Well, food is something I'm not massively interested in. Alcohol is hard to come by, but as a foreigner you can sometimes gain access to special clubs where you can buy alcohol. Also you will always be admitted to any posh hotel bars.
- Dress. For women, it's much better to wear salwar kameez than anything else (where-as in India you can more or less get away with any old thing).
- Activities. Obviously smaller than India but still loads to do if you put your mind to it.
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Hope this helps.