Tourism in Bangladesh[a] includes tourism toWorld Heritage Sites, historical monuments, resorts, beaches, picnic spots, forests, tribal people, and wildlife of various species. Activities for tourists includeangling,water skiing, river cruising, hiking,rowing,yachting,beachgoing andsea bathing.[1][2]
In the northern part, comprising theRangpur andRajshahi Divisions, there are archaeological sites, including the temple cityPuthia in Rajshahi; the largest and most ancient archaeological site,Mahasthangarh inBogra; the single largest Buddhist monastery,Paharpur inNaogaon; the most ornamentalterracotta Hindu temple,Kantaji Temple, and many rajbaris or palaces of oldzamindars.
In the southeastern part of theChittagong Division, there are natural and hilly areas likethe Chittagong Hill Tracts, along with sandy sea beaches. The most notable beach, inCox's Bazar, is a contender for the title of the longest unbroken sandy sea beach in the world.[3]
In the southwestern part, mainly theKhulna Division, there is theSundarbans, the largestmangrove forest in the world withthe royal Bengal tiger andspotted deer. The historically and architecturally significantsixty domed mosques inBagerhat are notable sites. In the northeastern partof the Sylhet division, there is a green carpet of tea plants on small hillocks. Natural reserved forests are great attractions. Migratory birds in winter are also beautiful, particularly in thehaor areas.
The Ministry of Tourism andThe Civil Aviation Ministry designs national policies for developing and promoting tourism. The Ministry also maintains the Beautiful Bangladesh campaign. Bangladesh Government has formed a Tourist Police unit to protect local and foreign tourists better and look after the nature and wildlife in the tourist spots.
TheWorld Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) reported in 2013, that Bangladesh's travel and tourism industry directly generated 1,281,500 jobs in 2012, or 1.8% of the country's total employment, which ranked Bangladesh 102 out of 178 countries worldwide.[4] A direct and indirect career in the industry totalled 2,714,500 jobs or 3.7% of the country's total employment.[4] The WTTC predicted that by 2023, travel and tourism would directly generate 1,785,000 jobs and support an overall total of 3,891,000 jobs, or 4.2% of the country's total employment.[4] This would represent an annual growth rate in direct jobs of 2.9%.[4] Domestic spending generated 97.7% of direct travel and tourism gross domestic product (GDP) in 2012.[4] Bangladesh's world ranking in 2012 for travel and tourism's direct contribution to GDP, as a percentage of GDP, was 142 out of 176.[4]
Cox's Bazar is a seaside town, a fishing port anddistrict headquarters in Bangladesh. It is known for its wide and long sandybeach, which is considered by many as the world's longest natural sandy sea beach.[3][6] The Cox’s Bazar beach stretches unbroken for about 125 kilometres (78 mi) and features a gentle slope into the Bay of Bengal. It is 152 kilometres (94 mi) south of theChittagong Seaport. Cox's Bazar is also known by the namePanowa, whose literal translation means "yellow flower". Its other old name was "Palongkee".
St. Martin's Island is a small island (area only 8 km2) in the northeastern part of theBay of Bengal, about 9 km south of the tip of theCox's Bazar-Teknaf peninsula, and forming the southernmost part of Bangladesh. There is a small adjoining island that is separated at high tide, called Chhera island. It is about 8 km west of the northwest coast of Myanmar, at the mouth of the Naf River. The first settlement started just 250 years ago by some Arabian sailors, who named the island 'Zajira'. During British occupation, the island was named St. Martin Island. The local names of the island are "Narical Gingira", also spelled "Narikel Jinjira/Jinjera", which means 'Coconut Island' in Bengali, and "Daruchini Dip". It is the only coral island in Bangladesh.
The city of Chittagong has many high end, private hotels such as the Hotel Agrabad, the Hotel Well Park Residence, The Peninsula Chittagong, the Hotel Harbour View, the Hotel Meridian, and Avenue Hotels and Suites.
TheJW Marriott,Westin andRadisson Blu are among the upcoming five-star hotels in Chittagong city.[7][8][9]
Rupali Hilsa Chandpur is supported by the reputation of 'Home of Hilsa'. Returned from Dhaka to Japan. As a result, you can partake of fresh hilsa and enjoy the beautiful natural scenery of many moons every day. It is difficult to find him while traveling around Chandpur. Molehead, the confluence of Padma, Meghna and Dakatiya Nala, has also become known. The sight of sunset in the three estuaries, the sound of small boats drifting by, the sound of lapping water may conjure up in another's mind, which makes dawa.
Sajek Valley is an emerging tourist spot in Bangladesh situated among the hills of the Kasalong range of mountains in Sajek union, Baghaichhari Upazila inRangamati District,Chittagong. The valley is 1,476 feet (450 m) above sea level. Sajek valley is known as the Queen of Hills & Roof of Rangamati. The name of Sajek Valley came from the Sajek River that originates from Karnafuli river. The Sajek river works as a border between Bangladesh and India.
Bandarban is a district in South-Eastern Bangladesh, and a part of theChittagong. Bandarban is regarded by many tourists to be one of the most attractive travel destinations in Bangladesh. Bandarban (meaningthe dam of monkeys), or inMarma orArakanese language as "Rwa-daw Mro" is also known as Arvumi or the Bohmong Circle (of the rest of the three hill districtsRangamati is theChakma Circle, RajaDevasish Roy andKhagrachhari is theMong Circle, Raja Sachingprue Marma). Bandarban town is the hometown of theBohmong Circle Chief (currently King, orRaja, U Cho Prue Marma) who is the head of theMarma population. It also is the administrative headquarters of Bandarban district, which has turned into one of the most exotic tourist attractions in Bangladesh.
Rangamati is the administrative headquarters ofRangamati Hill District in theChittagong. Kaptai lake, the hanging bridge and Pablakhali reserve forest are some of the notable locations to visit in Rangamati.
Khagrachhari is a district in south-eastern Bangladesh. It is a part of theChittagong. Its local name is "Chengmi". Khagrachari is also known as Phalang Htaung (ဖလံေထာင္) or the Mong Circle (of the rest of the three hill districtsRangamati is theChakma Circle (သက္ေထာင္) andBandarban (ဗိုလ္မင္းေထာင္) is the Bohmong Circle).Tourist destinations in Khagrachari includeAlutila Cave, Richhang waterfall, Yonged Buddha Bihar and the Dighinala Touduchhori Waterfall.[citation needed]
Patenga is a sea beach located south of theChittagong City. It is near the mouth of the Karnaphuli River. Patenga is a popular tourist spot. The beach is very close to the Bangladesh Naval Academy of the Bangladesh Navy and Chittagong Shah Amanat International Airport. Its width is narrow and swimming in the seas is not recommended. Part of the seashore is built-up with concrete walls, and large blocks of stones have been laid to prevent erosion. During the 1990s, a host of restaurants and kiosks sprouted out around the beach area. Lighting of the area has enhanced the security aspect of visiting at night. It is guarded by large stones to protect it from tsunamis.
A tourist attraction near Patenga beach is the Butterfly Park.[10]
Foy's Lake is a human-made lake inChittagong City. The lake was once just a lake and spillway constructed by Assam-Bengal Railway engineer. It was dug in 1924 and was named after the English engineer Mr. Foy.[11] The lake is next to Batali Hill, the highest hill in Chittagong Metropolitan area. An amusement park, managed by theConcord Group, is located here.[11]
There is a heritage park called Shaheed Zia Memorial Complex and Mini Bangladesh at Chandgaon which reflects the most notable structures and instances of Bangladesh. This 71-metre tower in Mini Bangladesh in Chittagong has a restaurant on the top that rotates once every 90 minutes.[citation needed] The museum includes a revolving restaurant. One can perceive of the country's architectural beauty, ethnic traditions and archaeological inheritance through having a glimpse of the heritage park. Replicas of major structures of the country includeJatiya Sangsad Bhaban (parliament building),National Memorial of Savar,Ahsan Manzil,Curzon Hall ofDhaka University,Paharpur Monastery,Kantajew Temple ofDinajpur,Lalbagh Fort andSona Masjid. The park also has different rides for children.[citation needed]
TheEthnological Museum of Chittagong located inAgrabad, established in 1965, is the only ethnological museum in the country, and presents the lifestyles and heritage of various ethnic groups of the country. The museum authority collected rare elements used in everyday lives of different ethnic groups, of which some had already become extinct while others were on the verge of extinction. The museum contains four galleries and a small hall. Three galleries of the museum feature diverse elements of twenty nineethnic groups in Bangladesh, while the rest of the gallery displays the lifestyles of some ethnic groups ofIndia,Pakistan and Australia.[12]
The War Cemetery on Badshah Mia Road contains the graves of 755 soldiers, and is protected and maintained by theCommonwealth War Graves Commission.[13] There are a number of museums in Chittagong. The most prominent is the Zia Memorial Museum which is housed in the old circuit house building. PresidentZiaur Rahman was assassinated there on 30 May 1981. This commemorative museum houses the late President Ziaur Rahman's mementos and personal belongings. It was established in 1993 with 12 galleries.[14]
Bichnakandi is a village in Rustompur Union inGowainghat Upazila ofSylhet District. In recent years there has been an influx of tourists to its river.
Jaflong is ahill station and popular tourist destination in theDivision of Sylhet,Bangladesh. It is located inGowainghat Upazila ofSylhet District and situated at the border betweenBangladesh and theIndian state ofMeghalaya, overshadowed by subtropical mountains and rainforests. Jaflong is famous for its stone collections and is home of theKhasi tribe.[15][16]
Madhobpur Lake is alake ofSrimangal inMaulvi Bazar District ofBangladesh.[17] It is one of the popular tourist spot in Bangladesh.[18][19]
Ratargul Swamp Forest is afreshwater swamp forest located inGowainghat,Sylhet. It is the only swamp forest located in Bangladesh and one of the few freshwater swamp forest in the world. The forest is naturally conserved under the Department of Forestry, Govt. of Bangladesh.
The evergreen forest[20] is situated by the riverGoain and linked with the channelChengir Khal. Most of the trees growing here are theMillettia pinnata (করচ গাছ "Koroch tree"). The forest is submerged under 20–30 feet water in the rainy season. For the rest of the year, the water level is about 10 feet deep.[21][22][23]
Dhaka Division is an administrative division in Bangladesh. Dhaka (formerly "Dacca") is the largest and capital city of Bangladesh.
Lalbagh Fort is an incomplete 17th centuryMughal fort complex inDhaka, Bangladesh.[24] This fort (Also known asFort Aurangabad) stands proudly before the Buriganga River in the southwestern part of Dhaka, Bangladesh. The construction was started in 1678 AD by Mughal Subahdar Muhammad Azam Shah. For long the fort was considered to be a combination of three buildings (the mosque, the tomb of Bibi Pari and the Diwan-i-Aam), with two gateways and a portion of the partly damaged fortification wall. Recent excavations carried out by the Department of Archaeology have revealed the existence of other structures.
Ahsan Manzil is a wonderful ancient building, located on the bank of the river Buriganga, in old Dhaka at Kumartoli, Islampur area. It was a residential palace for Dhaka Nawab Family. The structure of this palace was started in the year 1859 and was finished in 1869. It is constructed in the Indo-Saracenic Revival architecture. To preserve the cultural and history of the area, the palace became the Bangladesh National Museum on 20 September 1992.
The Shaheed Minar (English: Martyr Monument) is a national monument in Dhaka, Bangladesh, established to commemorate those killed during theBengali language movement demonstrations of 1952. On 21 February 1952, dozens of students and political activists were killed when the Pakistani police force opened fire on Bengali protesters who were demanding equal status for their native tongue, Bengali. The massacre occurred nearDhaka Medical College andRamna Park in Dhaka. A makeshift monument was erected on 23 February[25] by students ofUniversity of Dhaka and other educational institutions, but demolished on 26 February[26] by the Pakistani police force. The Language Movement gained momentum, and after a long struggle, Bengali was given equal status withUrdu. To commemorate the dead, the Shaheed Minar was designed and built byHamidur Rahman, a Bangladeshi sculptor. The monument stood until theBangladesh Liberation War in 1971, when it was demolished completely duringOperation Searchlight. After Bangladesh gained independence, it was rebuilt. At present, all national, mourning, cultural and other activities held each year, regarding 21 February, have been centred around the Shaheed Minar.
Jatiyo Sriti Shoudho or National Martyrs' Memorial is the national monument of Bangladesh is the symbol in the memory of the valour and the sacrifice of all those who gave their lives in the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971.
Jatiyo Sangsad Bhaban (National Parliament) was created by American architectLouis Kahn. Construction was started in 1961 and completed on 28 January 1982 with the total cost was about 32 million dollars. It is situated at Shre-e-Bangla Nagar in Dhaka. Jatiyo Sangsad Bhaban was used for the first time on 15 February 1982 as the venue for the eighth (last) session of the second parliament of Bangladesh. Since then, it has been used for theBangladesh National Assembly.
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Tajhat Palace is a magnificent European-style palace located at Tajhat,Vicinity ofRangpur. It is located about three kilometers south east of the city center. Built in the early 20th century, it now symbolizes the history and culture of northern Bangladesh. At present the Palace is used asRangpur Divisional Museum.[27]
Kantajew Temple at Kantanagar,[28] is a late-medievalHindu temple inDinajpur, Bangladesh. Built by Maharaja Pran Nath, its construction started in 1704 CE and ended in the reign of his son Raja Ramnath 1722 CE.[29][30] It is an example ofTerracotta architecture and once had nine spires, but all were destroyed during the1897 Assam earthquake.[31]
ThePanchagarh District, the northernmost District in Bangladesh, is famous for its tea plantations of the plainland. In addition with that, in theAutumn, the skyline of this region includesKangchenjunga, the world's third highest mountain peak for a short span of time beforeWinter. Therefore, Domestic tourist gathers from different parts of the country in autumn season (October- November) to see the views of theHimalayas and tea gardens.
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Serially from top:Nawabganj National Park,Sura Mosque,Nayabad Mosque,Sitakot Vihara,Kantajew Temple
Somapura Mahavihara in Paharpur,Badalgachhi Upazila,Naogaon District (25°1'51.83"N, 88°58'37.15"E) is among the best knownBuddhistviharas in theIndian subcontinent and is one of the most important archaeological sites in the country. It was designated a UNESCOWorld Heritage Site in 1985.
Mahasthangarh is the earliest urban archaeological sites so far discovered in Bangladesh. The village Mahasthan inShibganj thana ofBogra District contains the remains of an ancient city which was called Pundranagara or Paundravardhanapura in the territory ofPundravardhana.[32][33][34] Alimestone slab bearing six lines inPrakrit inBrahmi script, discovered in 1931, dates Mahasthangarh to at least the 3rd century BC.[35] The fortified area was in use until the 18th century AD.[33]
Behula is the protagonist in theManasamangal genre ofBengali medieval epics. A number of works belonging to this genre were written between the thirteenth and eighteenth centuries. Though the religious purpose of these works is to eulogise the Hindu goddessManasa, these works are more well known for depicting the love story of Behula and her husband Lakhindar.
Varendra Museum is a museum, research centre and visitor attraction inRajshahi town and maintained by theUniversity of Rajshahi.
According to an inscription found over the mosque's central entrance, Bagha Mosque was built by Sultan Nusrat Shah in 1523. The inscription is now preserved inKarachi, Pakistan. The mosque is a richly decorated monument built of bricks with stone plinth, lintels and pillars. It is roofed over with ten domes. They collapsed in the earthquake of 1897, but were rebuilt to their original form in 1978 by theDepartment of Archaeology (Bangladesh).[36]
Kuakata is a sea beach on the southernmost tip of Bangladesh. Located inPatuakhali District, Kuakata has a wide sandy beach about 320 kilometres (200 mi) south of Dhaka, and about 70 kilometres (43 mi) from the district headquarters. Kuakata beach is 30 kilometres (19 mi) long and 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) wide. On the eastern end of the beach is Gongamati Reserved Forest, an evergreen mangrove forest and snippet of the original Kuakata. When theRakhines settled in the area in 1784, Kuakata was part of the largerSundarbans forest. Sundarbans is now at a distance of one-hour by speed boat. As a mangrove forest, Gongamati, like the Sundarbans, offers some protection against tidal surges, however it too is threatened by logging anddeforestation. The forest can be reached by foot or bike along the beach.
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TheSundarbans is the largest single block of tidalhalophyticmangrove forest in the world.[37] The Sunderbans is aUNESCO World Heritage Site, most of which is situated in Bangladesh with the remainder in India. SundarbansSouth,East andWest are three protected forests in Bangladesh. This region is densely covered by mangrove forests, and is one of the largest reserves for theBengal tiger.
TheMosque City of Bagerhat is located in the suburbs ofBagerhat city inBagerhat District, in theKhulna Division of southwest of Bangladesh. Bagerhat is about 24 kilometres (15 mi) southeast ofKhulna and 320 km (200 mi) southwest of Dhaka.[38]
Originally known asKhalifatabad and nicknamed the "mint town of theBengal Sultanate",[39] the city was founded in the 15th century by the warrior saint Turkish generalUlugh Khan Jahan.[40]
The historic city has more than 50 Islamic monuments which have been found after removing the vegetation that had obscured them from view for many centuries. The site has been recognised as aUNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983 under criteria (iv), "as an outstanding example of an architectural ensemble which illustrates a significant stage in human history",[41] of which the Sixty Pillar Mosque (Shat Gombuj Masjid in Bengali), constructed with 60 pillars and 77 domes, is the most well known.[citation needed] Apart from these monuments, UNESCO also includes the mausoleum of Khan Jahan, the mosques of Singar, Bibi Begni, Reza Khoda, Zindavir among the unique monuments.[41][42]
Bangladesh has many places of worship. Capital Dhaka is known as the city of mosques.
Some famous Religious Places of Worship and visitor attractions are:
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Bangladesh Last House, the last house of Bangladesh located in the Bangladesh–India border at Jointa Hill Resort, this is a popular tourist destination.
Bangladesh has geographical diversity, which resulted in varieties of nature tourism.
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Bangladesh is home to several well-known mammals including theBengal tiger, theAsian elephant, thehoolock gibbon and theAsian black bear. Thesaltwater crocodile found inSunderban is the largest of all living reptiles, Theking cobra is the world's longestvenomous snake and thereticulated python is the longest among all snakes. The country has roughly 53 species of amphibian, 19 species of marine reptiles, 139 species of reptiles, 380 species of birds, 116 species of mammals, and 5 species of marine mammals. In addition to the large bird count, a further 310 species of migratory birds swell bird numbers each year. The vast majority of these creatures currently dwell in an area of land that is approximately 150,000 square kilometres (58,000 sq mi) in size. The dhole, also called the Asiatic wild dog, is now endangered by habitat, prey-species loss, and human persecution. Notable animal species that have disappeared from Bangladesh are the one- and two-horned rhinoceros, the gaur, the banteng, swamp deer, nilgai, Indian wolf, wild water buffalo, marsh crocodile and common peafowl.
The world's largest mangrove forest Sundarbans is located in Southwestern Bangladesh. Sundarbans National Parks are UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Bangladesh offers a wide range of tropical beaches.Cox's Bazar is known for its wide and long sandy beach which is considered as the world's longest natural sandy sea beach.Some of the other famous tourist beaches are:
The islands of Bangladesh are scattered along the Bay of Bengal and the river mouth of the Padma. There are more than 30 islands in Bangladesh.Some famous tourist attractions are:
In January 2011, two short films titledBeautiful Bangladesh: School of Life were produced byBangladesh Tourism Board (partner ofICC World Cup Cricket 2011). Both films show a tourist's journey through Bangladesh. The durations of the films were 10 and 3 minutes. The 10-minute-long film was directed by Moinul Hossain Mukul and the 3-minute-long film was directed by Gazi Ahmed Shubhro. Concept and script by Syed Gousul Alam Shaon.
While muslin of ancient Dhaka has gone into history, other products such as contemporary paintings, wood works,shital pati (mats that feel cool), bamboo decoration pieces, cane and conch shell products, gold and silver ornament, cotton, silk, gold, silver, jute, reed, brass ware, traditional dolls and leather goods also receive deep appreciation of the lovers of arts and crafts now and over the past centuries. In addition, Bangladesh is famous for pink pearl.[48]
Jamuna Future Park is a notable shopping mall to visit.Bashudhara City inaugurated in 2004 is one of the largest shopping malls in sub-continent.
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{{cite news}}:Missing or empty|title= (help)Kantaji temple at Kantanagar in Dinajpur, the construction work of which was begun in 1704 by Raja Prannath and completed by his son Raja Ramnath in 1722 ...
Mahasthan is the earliest urban archaeological site so far discovered in the present territory of ... Bangladesh
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