A three-day fair styled 'Standard Chartered Dhaka Travel Mart (DTM) 2006', which began on Thursday to highlight the potentiality of tourism industry in the national economy, ended yesterday.
A total of 49 organisations including different airlines, tour operators, hotels and tourism organisations from India, Nepal, Thailand, Singapore, United Arab Emirate, Qatar, Kuwait, Hong Kong, Yemen, Malaysia and host Bangladesh displayed their products and packages in the third version of the fair, organised by The Bangladesh Monitor, a leading tour magazine in Bangladesh.
Participants said they received a large number of people in the three-day fair. The visitors were inquiring about packages and discounts offered by different tour operators, they said.
"Although, this is not the real time for tourism in Bangladesh. But by visiting the fair, I knew about some new places, which can be attractive for travelling in the upcoming season", said Nazmul Ahsan, a visitors in the fair.
Faridul Haque, president of Tour Operators Association of Bangladesh (TOAB) said, "Bangladesh is a beautiful country. People learn this by reading books or newspaper. With some new sites, we are coming here to inform the people that how the real scene of beauty Bangladesh actually has".
In the present world, tourism is treated as one of the vital source of foreign exchange earning, he said.
Tourism is not a single business, it has multidimensional opportunity for creating employment, said Kazi Wahidul Alam, editor of the Bangladesh Monitor and chairman of the organising committee of DTM-2006.
He said the government as well as private entrepreneurs can utilise the sector for earning money.
The Daily Star and Channel i were the media partners of the Dhaka Travel Mart. Standard Chartered Bank was the title sponsor of the fair.
