She said these things as the chief guest at the oath-taking ceremony of the newly elected executive committee of Tour Operators Association of Bangladesh (TOAB) at Gulshan Club in the capital on Monday (August 3).

Congratulating the newly elected committee members, the minister said the government is working to build a world-class tourism industry under the leadership of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman. To this end, work is underway to formulate an integrated Tourism Master Plan covering 1,498 tourist attractions in the country, which will serve as a long-term development framework.

She said that turning Cox's Bazar, the world's longest natural sea beach, into a regional tourism hub is one of the government's top priorities. Besides, she expressed optimism that the newly built Cox's Bazar International Airport will play an important role in attracting foreign tourists and expanding the tourism sector.

The tourism minister also informed about the plan to introduce special discounts for expatriate Bangladeshis at hotels and motels of the state-owned Bangladesh Tourism Corporation in recognition of their contribution.

She said the government has set a target to ensure 6 to 7 percent contribution from the tourism sector to the country's gross domestic product (GDP). To achieve this goal, an initiative has been taken to implement the Tourism Satellite Account (TSA) nationwide to eliminate the data gap in the tourism sector.

At this time, she sought active cooperation from all stakeholders including TOAB.

The event was attended by Dr. Nazneen Kausar Chowdhury, Secretary and Executive Chairman of the National Skills Development Authority; Bangladesh Tourism Corporation Chairman Md. Shamimuzzaman; ambassadors and high commissioners of the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Brunei in Bangladesh; representatives of Nepal and Pakistan embassies; TOAB leaders; media workers; and prominent figures of the tourism sector.