With experience of around three decades in public relations, Kamrul Islam now works as the general manager (public relations) at the US Bangla Airlines Ltd. His expertise in crafting compelling narratives and building strong media relationships has made him a crucial figure in the country’s rising aviation sector. In the process, he has observed the whole tourism sector of the country closely. Kamrul Islam has been appointed as the Acting Editor of the popular online news portal Dhaka Post. On the occasion of the International Tourism Day, he has shared his thoughts with the Daily Sun.

daily sun :   Bangladesh has huge potential in tourism. But in reality how much are we able to utilise it?

Kamrul: The reality is 54 years have already passed just in searching for our potential. While many countries in the world have already started working with different short-term and long-term plans, I am still confused whether the Bangladesh government has any such plan or not. For example, our Cox’s Bazar International Airport is supposed to start operation on 2 October, but till now I cannot see any proper planning there. To operate an international airport, certain requirements and structural awareness are necessary. But I do not see any implementation of those.

daily sun :  Neighbouring countries like Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Bhutan have been able to brand themselves internationally, but why can’t we?

Kamrul: In a democratic country, change of regime is natural after a certain time. But in Bangladesh, one of the biggest problems is that with every change of government, previous decisions and policies often get changed or stuck midway. While neighbouring countries’ tourism contributes 6–7% to their GDP, our tourism sector’s contributions is still around 3%. We have not been able to build the facilities required to increase this. For international tourists, apart from a few high-standard hotels, there are no other facilities or even proper security here.

daily sun :  In your opinion, where are the main obstacles?

Kamrul: I think the problem lies in policy-making. When we go abroad as tourists, we get certain facilities in other countries, but we cannot provide those here. Our policy makers travel abroad and enjoy the beauty and facilities, but they fail to implement those in our country. That is why even after 54 years, there has not been much improvement in this sector.

daily sun :  What initiatives can take airlines to further develop the tourism sector?

Kamrul: Airlines like US-Bangla or others are operating in places where we have expatriates or markets, such as Thailand, Maldives, and Kuala Lumpur—mainly from a business perspective. We can play a supporting role, but the main stakeholder has to be the government. Although Bangladesh has air service agreements with 54 countries, we are operating flights only with 22–23 countries. Only because of lack of facilities and capacity, we cannot operate with the rest. Currently, 80% of Bangladesh’s international market share goes to foreign airlines, while 20% goes to local airlines. Bangladeshi airlines could not fulfill the target, so the international airlines are filling that gap.

daily sun :  How competitive are Bangladeshi airlines, including US-Bangla, with neighbouring countries?

Kamrul: On the routes where Bangladeshi airlines operate, there is no chance for monopolistic business. We have been surviving for 21 years only because we provide proper service and competitive fares. That is how we are competing.

daily sun :  If both government and private sector initiatives are combined, where do you want to see Bangladesh on the international tourism map in 5 to 10 years?

Kamrul: Currently, tourism contributes nearly 3% to Bangladesh’s GDP. As an airline person, I would like to see it reaches 6–7%. But for that, the government has to provide us with the necessary facilities.

daily sun :  For US-Bangla users, we want to know whether there are any new routes or tourism plans ahead.

Kamrul: Alongside our existing routes, we are planning to operate on routes where Bangladeshi expatriates are present in large numbers. By the end of 2028, we plan to operate flights to Toronto and New York and also to Sydney, Australia. For the rest, we will need the support of our passengers.

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