Bandarban

Tourism has been defined as travelling to a place or places other than the residence or work place and on an execution, a journey or visit for pleasure, rest or recreation and other purposes than for earning or involving in activities leading to permanent residence. Our understanding is that one can travel within the boundary of home country from one place to another to gather experience and make pleasure during holidays or their leisure time. Travelling may be to a foreign country. It may be personal or in a group. It may also be family tour to unknown, interesting and pleasing environment for bringing the members closer to each other.

Tourism is now one of the most important service industries, and has become one of the most important invisible export sectors in many countries of the world. It fetches foreign exchange, generates income and employment not only directly, but also through multiplier effects in the economy through creating demand for other sectors which are indirectly related to this sector.

The position of tourist arrival as well as earnings from tourism in Bangladesh is very poor not only compared to the world, but also to the South Asian region and countries of similar cultural background in Asia. However, since tourism offers great opportunities for earning foreign exchange, Bangladesh needs to explore and exploit its potentials. Little is known, however, about the status and importance for the economy, the sector has remained to give an overview of the present status of tourism, pinpoint the key problem, and identity the potential dimensions to address the development of the tourism sector on the basis of micro level investigation.

Travel is deeply embedded in human culture, behaviour and values. Human beings are inherently curious concerning the world in which they live. We desire to know what other places look like - what the people, their levels of education and the influence of television, internet and other communication media have combined to create in us a much greater awareness of the entire world. We are in a global economy and our industries must be globally competitive. We must think globally. Material prosperity in many developed countries, accompanying higher standards of living, has made travel attainable for hundreds of millions of their people. Tourism has played a major role in breaking down the borders and barriers of distrust and prejudice between countries and people. It has contributed to better understanding, greater tolerance and to world peace in general.

Since the times of the wandering ancient peoples, people have been travelling in every direction around the earth. From the days of such early explorers as Marcopolo, Ibne Battuta, Christopher Columbus, Ferdinand Magellin, and Captain James Cook to the present, there has been a steady growth in travel. In the twentieth century, the invention of the automobile has brought about unprecedented growth in tourism. Following World War II, the invention of the jet airplane, especially the wide-bodied type and the establishment of global air routes made possible rapid travel for many millions.

The exceptional growth of tourism over the last 50 years is one of the most remarkable economic and social phenomena of the 20th century. The number of international arrivals shows an evolution from a mere 2.0 million in 1950 to 963 million of 2010. That represents an average annual growth rate of more than 7.0 per cent over a period of 50 years - well above the average annual economic growth rate for the same period. Tourism has clearly outperformed all the other sectors of the economy and has grown into the most significant economic activity in the world.