Govt Forms Tourism Cabinet Committee Led by Finance Minister

The government has constituted a high-level Cabinet Committee on Tourism, led by the finance minister, to boost the development, expansion and quality standards of the country’s tourism sector.

A gazette notification issued by the Cabinet Division in this regard was published today, following an earlier notification issued on May 21.

According to the notification, the 17-member committee comprises ministers, state ministers, advisers and senior officials from key ministries and government agencies, with the finance minister serving as its chairperson.

The committee includes the ministers for Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives; Home Affairs; Foreign Affairs; Environment, Forest and Climate Change; Cultural Affairs; Land; Civil Aviation and Tourism; Commerce; Housing and Public Works; Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs; Railways; and Shipping.

State ministers for Civil Aviation and Tourism and Planning, the adviser to the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism, and the executive chairman of BIDA are also members of the committee.

The notification said senior secretaries, secretaries and relevant officials from 15 major ministries will provide administrative and technical assistance to the committee.

These ministries include Land, Home Affairs, Finance, Railways, Housing and Public Works, Foreign Affairs, Cultural Affairs, Planning, Road Transport and Highways, Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs, Local Government, Civil Aviation and Tourism, Shipping, Environment and Commerce.

Signed by Cabinet Division Additional Secretary (Committee and Economic) Md Humayun Kabir, the notification outlined three key responsibilities for the committee.

The body will recommend specific policies for the overall growth, expansion and maintenance of international standards in Bangladesh’s tourism industry.

It will also identify untapped potential, emerging opportunities, existing challenges and both domestic and international obstacles in the tourism sector, and propose measures to address them.

In addition, the committee will determine priority areas for local and foreign investment as well as public-private partnership (PPP) initiatives aimed at strengthening the sector and devising effective implementation strategies.

The notification added that the committee may co-opt additional members if required for smooth operations, while the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism will act as its secretariat.

It further stated that the previous Cabinet Division notification on a tourism-related committee, issued on February 8, 2024, has been cancelled, and the new order takes immediate effect.