Tourism must be developed by protecting nature, not just through attractive structures: Home Minister

He made these remarks as the chief guest at the inauguration ceremony of the 'Swapnachura Abashik' project of Cox's Bazar Development Authority (CUK) on Friday (August 7).

He said tourism will not remain limited to Laboni, Sugandha, Kolatoli or Inani beaches alone. Various types of tourism activities will be developed across the entire 120-kilometre coastline. The government's main goal is to establish Cox's Bazar as a world-class tourist destination rather than focusing on commercial profit. Cox's Bazar will be developed in such a way that the whole of Bangladesh can take pride in this region.

The Home Minister said no integrated survey was conducted in the past regarding the country's major tourist centres. Without any survey, several important tourism areas, including Cox's Bazar, Kuakata and Sunamganj, had been declared Ecologically Critical Areas (ECA). In particular, due to the ECA declaration in the Cox's Bazar sea beach and areas adjacent to the Marine Drive road, as well as various court injunctions, the tourism sector's potential could not be fully utilised. He informed that directives have been given to reconsider the matter through a new scientific survey.

Salahuddin Ahmed said the government is working with a long-term plan to build a national and international standard tourism hub around Cox's Bazar. A comprehensive master plan is being formulated to implement this goal. The plan will be finalised by December this year. Later, if approved by the government, various long-standing policy and administrative obstacles to Cox's Bazar's development will be resolved.

He said through the proper use of marine resources, the tourism industry, the deep sea port and other natural resources, Cox's Bazar will make a significant contribution to the national economy in the future. Permission has already been granted for exploration and extraction of oil, gas and mineral resources in the deep sea. In addition, initiatives to establish a Blue Economy and Marine Science University are also in progress.

The Home Minister further said that currently people know Cox's Bazar mainly for the world's longest sea beach. However, many other natural and marine resources here remain undiscovered. If these resources are identified and properly utilised, it will be possible to build an economically prosperous Bangladesh for future generations.