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Achieving Bangladesh's tourism potential: Linkages to export diversification, employment generation and the "green economy"

Author

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  • Honeck, Dale
  • Akhtar, Md. Shoaib

Abstract

Bangladesh's international image is not as a popular tourism destination, and many people might be surprised to learn it has three World Heritage sites, including the Sundarbans tiger reserves. Moreover, it is part of important travel circuits for cultural and religious tourism, and has demonstrated potential for sports tourism. The objective of this working paper is to critically test the assertion that pro-poor "green" tourism is one of the best development options for the majority of least developed countries (LDCs) - a challenging task in Bangladesh in the face of the country's success as an exporter of readymade garments - by comparing tourism to the available alternatives with regard to the crucial government priorities of export diversification, employment generation and the "green economy". It is well-known that Bangladesh is under strong pressure to diversify its exports, to generate new employment (especially in rural areas), and to respond to critical environmental issues. The government has identified over 30 "thrust sectors" (including tourism) to help address these challenges, but otherwise tourism is rarely mentioned as a major trade and development option for Bangladesh. Within the limitations of data availability, this working paper reaches the conclusion that greater efforts to develop "green" tourism would be highly beneficial for facilitating rural development, environmental and cultural protection, gender equality, and export diversification in services. The most obvious current impediments are inadequate infrastructure, lack of investment and (typically election year) political conflict, but behind these factors appear to be a serious lack of stakeholder coordination, insufficient regulatory and administrative transparency and coherence, as well as some government reluctance to relinquish greater commercial autonomy in tourism to the private sector. This paper offers extensive analysis and some suggestions to help address the impediments, including the recommendation to create a Bangladesh Tourism Stakeholders Forum.

Suggested Citation

  • Honeck, Dale & Akhtar, Md. Shoaib, 2014. "Achieving Bangladesh's tourism potential: Linkages to export diversification, employment generation and the "green economy"," WTO Staff Working Papers ERSD-2014-15, World Trade Organization (WTO), Economic Research and Statistics Division.
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:wtowps:ersd201415
    DOI: 10.30875/9ee5c8d6-en
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Reis, José Guilherme & Varela, Gonzalo, 2013. "Can Tourism Encourage Better Export Performance and Diversification in Nepal?," World Bank - Economic Premise, The World Bank, issue 127, pages 1-6, October.
    2. International Monetary Fund, 2013. "Niger: Joint Staff Advisory Note on the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper," IMF Staff Country Reports 2013/106, International Monetary Fund.
    3. International Monetary Fund, 2013. "Bangladesh: Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper," IMF Staff Country Reports 2013/063, International Monetary Fund.
    4. Giuliani, Elisa & Maffioli, Alessandro & Pacheco, Manuel & Pietrobelli, Carlo & Stucchi, Rodolfo, 2014. "Evaluating the Impact of Cluster Development Programs," Papers in Innovation Studies 2014/10, Lund University, CIRCLE - Centre for Innovation Research.
    5. Jose Guilherme Reis & Gonzalo Varela, 2015. "Travel Channel Meets Discovery Channel or How Tourism Can Encourage Better Export Performance and Diversification in Nepal," South Asia Economic Journal, Institute of Policy Studies of Sri Lanka, vol. 16(2), pages 183-208, September.
    6. repec:ilo:ilowps:424657 is not listed on IDEAS
    7. International Monetary Fund, 2013. "Bangladesh: Joint Staff Advisory Note on the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper," IMF Staff Country Reports 2013/062, International Monetary Fund.
    8. Honeck, Dale, 2012. "LDC export diversification, employment generation and the "green economy": What roles for tourism linkages?," WTO Staff Working Papers ERSD-2012-24, World Trade Organization (WTO), Economic Research and Statistics Division.
    9. Honeck, Dale, 2011. ""Expect the unexpected"? LDC GATS commitments as internationally credible policy indicators? The example of Mali," WTO Staff Working Papers ERSD-2011-07, World Trade Organization (WTO), Economic Research and Statistics Division.
    10. Baum, Tom., 2013. "International perspectives on women and work in hotels, catering and tourism," ILO Working Papers 994797583402676, International Labour Organization.
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    Cited by:

    1. Perles Ribes, José Francisco & Ivars Baidal , Josep, 2018. "Smart sustainability: a new perspective in the sustainable tourism debate," INVESTIGACIONES REGIONALES - Journal of REGIONAL RESEARCH, Asociación Española de Ciencia Regional, issue 42, pages 151-170.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Bangladesh; LDCs; Export Diversification; Spatial Diversification; Rural Development; Comparative Advantage; Employment Generation; Green Economy; Green Tourism; Pro-poor Tourism; Tourism Linkages; Cluster Analysis; Value Chain Analysis; Poverty Alleviation; MDGs; Gender Issues; FDI; GATS; Istanbul Programme of Action (IPoA); Rio+20;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F13 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Trade Policy; International Trade Organizations
    • F18 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Trade and Environment
    • F63 - International Economics - - Economic Impacts of Globalization - - - Economic Development
    • H54 - Public Economics - - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies - - - Infrastructures
    • H77 - Public Economics - - State and Local Government; Intergovernmental Relations - - - Intergovernmental Relations; Federalism
    • I38 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - Government Programs; Provision and Effects of Welfare Programs
    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
    • J21 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Labor Force and Employment, Size, and Structure
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
    • L52 - Industrial Organization - - Regulation and Industrial Policy - - - Industrial Policy; Sectoral Planning Methods
    • L83 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Services - - - Sports; Gambling; Restaurants; Recreation; Tourism
    • O14 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Industrialization; Manufacturing and Service Industries; Choice of Technology
    • O15 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration
    • O19 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - International Linkages to Development; Role of International Organizations
    • O24 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Development Planning and Policy - - - Trade Policy; Factor Movement; Foreign Exchange Policy
    • P45 - Political Economy and Comparative Economic Systems - - Other Economic Systems - - - International Linkages
    • Q26 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Renewable Resources and Conservation - - - Recreational Aspects of Natural Resources
    • Q54 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Climate; Natural Disasters and their Management; Global Warming
    • Q56 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Environment and Development; Environment and Trade; Sustainability; Environmental Accounts and Accounting; Environmental Equity; Population Growth

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