Bangladesh - dream destination of tourists

Bangladesh , the birthplace of my forefathers, was the prospective destination for a pleasure trip for quite a number of years. I being a frequent traveller both within India & abroad aspired to set foot on the soil of Bangladesh with the twin objective of helping my ageing parents & parents in law to have a look at their birthplace since the partition of India in 1947 in search of our roots & also as a traveller to have a glimpse of its tourist spots.

However, the aspiration was not maturing mainly due to lack of information on Bangladesh tourism available at Kolkata. 2010 was the year when sincerest efforts were made to visit Bangladesh .We never preferred conducted tours, as such hurricane tours generally are not suitable for us. I was in search of a reliable platform through which our tailor made tour could be conducted.

On the advice of a friend I got the reference & contacted Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation, National Tourism Organization, tasked to promote tourism in Bangladesh.

The response was immediate & overwhelming. Our tour of Bangladesh began on the arrangements made by BPC, tailormade to suit our preferences & requirements.

13th of December, 2010 was the auspicious date when our unforgettable tour of Bangladesh began. The warmth of the Bangladeshis was felt from the moment our foot was set on the soil of Dhaka. Immediately on entering the Dhaka airport, the team of BPC personnel led by Md.Ehsanul Kabir, head IT Dept & SICT focal point

extended their hands of co-operation, help & friendship which strengthened day by day till the end of our tour when our ties of friendship became inseparable forever.

My father, presently 81 years of age, who braved visiting his motherland holding my hand, in no time trusted the hands of the locals more - such is the warmth of the Bangladeshis.

No wonder the beautiful & simple hearts of Bangladeshis , they hail from a land which nature has blessed with abundance of beauty & serenity. The sincerity & dedication with which they are nurturing the virgin beauty of the tourist spots like Cox's bajar (world's longest unbroken beach

stretching 120 kms), St. Martin's island alongwith Cheradweep ( coral island) ,Kaptai lake of Rangamati(Chittagong hill tracts) the Sunderbans (the single largest mangrove forest in the country)etc. was enough to draw our admiration & respect which Bangladeshis maintain in their hearts for their motherland.

The food and accommodation available at BPC guest houses need special mention.Very decent accommodation at very reasonable prices with all latest modern facilities. In 13 days of our tour we had the privilege of tasting 23 different kinds of fishes cooked in most hygienic & tasty way.

The administration alongwith NGOs & common people are so much conscious to control all sorts of pollution whether in air (CNG driven vehicles in metropolices), or in water ( evident in crystal clear water of the Kaptai lake ), or in land ( evident in clean golden beaches of Cox's bajar, St. Martin's or the cleanliness of the Chittagong hill tracts). All eyes set to maintain the ecological balance.

Of all the natural treasures, the richest treasure that the country has, is perhaps the enriched minds of her people.The greatest beauty of the country is the hospitality the tourists are to receive from all sections of the society which is bound to influence the mind of all prospective tourists the most, enrich their minds & inspire them to be humble & warm to guests like the Bangladeshis. This human quality is becoming very rare in the modern civilsed  world.

To conclude, I have no other option but to narrate Bangladesh's national anthem written by the greatest poet of the sub-continent Rabindranath Tagore "Amar sonar Bangla, ami tomay bhalobasi " .... My dear dear Bangladesh, I love you.